Behavioral Treatment and Memantine in Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO · Mar 22, 2023

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying two different approaches to help people with skin-picking and hair-pulling disorders, known as trichotillomania and skin picking disorder. Researchers want to find out if behavioral treatment (which involves learning new ways to cope with these behaviors) is more effective than a medication called memantine, which is used to help with various brain-related conditions. In this study, 28 participants will first take memantine for 8 weeks, followed by 8 weeks of behavioral therapy. The main goal is to see if those who go through behavioral therapy have better results than those who only use memantine.

To be eligible for the trial, participants must be adults aged 18 or older and have a current diagnosis of either trichotillomania or skin picking disorder. They should also be stable on their medications for at least three months and able to understand and sign a consent form. Participants can expect to receive both treatment methods over a 16-week period and will be monitored for progress throughout the study. It's important to note that individuals with certain medical conditions, pregnancy, or past severe mental health issues may not qualify for this trial.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Men and women ages 18+
• • Current DSM-5 diagnosis of trichotillomania (TTM) or skin picking disorder (SPD)
• • Ability to understand and sign the consent form
• • Stable dose of medications for at least the past 3 months
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Unstable medical illness based on history or clinically significant abnormalities on baseline physical examination
• • Current pregnancy or lactation, or inadequate contraception in women of childbearing potential
• • Subjects considered an immediate suicide risk based on the Columbia Suicide Severity rating Scale (C-SSRS)
• • Past 12-month DSM-5 diagnosis of psychosis, bipolar disorder, mania, or a substance or alcohol use disorder
• • Illegal substance use based on urine toxicology screening
• • Previous treatment with memantine
• • Previous trial of ComB or similar BT protocol (e,g., habit reversal training)
• • Cognitive impairment that interferes with the capacity to understand and self-administer medication or provide written informed consent