TY - JOUR

T1 - Trichotillomania and its clinical relationship to depression and anxiety

AU - Grant, Jon E.

AU - Redden, Sarah A.

AU - Medeiros, Gustavo C.

AU - Odlaug, Brian L.

AU - Curley, Erin E.

AU - Tavares, Hermano

AU - Keuthen, Nancy J.

PY - 2017

Y1 - 2017

N2 - Objective: Trichotillomania (TTM) is associated with high rates of co-occurring depression and anxiety disorders. What the co-occurrence of TTM, depression or anxiety disorders means clinically and cognitively, however, has garnered little research attention. Methods: About 530 adults with TTM were examined on a variety of clinical measures including symptom severity, psychosocial measures of functioning, psychiatric comorbidity and neurocognitive testing assessing motor inhibition and cognitive flexibility. Clinical features and cognitive functioning were compared between TTM patients with current comorbid major depressive disorder (MDD), a current anxiety disorder, both MDD and an anxiety disorder, or neither. Results: Of 530 participants, 58 (10.3%) had MDD only, 97 (18.3%) had an anxiety disorder only, 58 (10.3%) had both MDD and an anxiety disorder, and 317 (59.8%) had neither. For almost all clinical measures, those with MDD only reported worse symptoms than those with an anxiety disorder only, and the combination of MDD and an anxiety disorder reported the worst level of symptom severity. Conclusions: These results suggest that adults with TTM and co-occurring MDD and anxiety disorders exhibit unique clinical differences. The clinical differences may also have treatment implications.

AB - Objective: Trichotillomania (TTM) is associated with high rates of co-occurring depression and anxiety disorders. What the co-occurrence of TTM, depression or anxiety disorders means clinically and cognitively, however, has garnered little research attention. Methods: About 530 adults with TTM were examined on a variety of clinical measures including symptom severity, psychosocial measures of functioning, psychiatric comorbidity and neurocognitive testing assessing motor inhibition and cognitive flexibility. Clinical features and cognitive functioning were compared between TTM patients with current comorbid major depressive disorder (MDD), a current anxiety disorder, both MDD and an anxiety disorder, or neither. Results: Of 530 participants, 58 (10.3%) had MDD only, 97 (18.3%) had an anxiety disorder only, 58 (10.3%) had both MDD and an anxiety disorder, and 317 (59.8%) had neither. For almost all clinical measures, those with MDD only reported worse symptoms than those with an anxiety disorder only, and the combination of MDD and an anxiety disorder reported the worst level of symptom severity. Conclusions: These results suggest that adults with TTM and co-occurring MDD and anxiety disorders exhibit unique clinical differences. The clinical differences may also have treatment implications.

KW - anxiety

KW - cognition

KW - comorbidity

KW - depression

KW - Trichotillomania

U2 - 10.1080/13651501.2017.1314509

DO - 10.1080/13651501.2017.1314509

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 28429625

AN - SCOPUS:85018839361

VL - 21

SP - 302

EP - 306

JO - International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice

JF - International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice

SN - 1365-1501

IS - 4

ER -