Behavioral Treatment and Memantine in Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors
NCT ID: NCT05796752
Last Updated: 2025-12-03
Study Results
The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.
Basic Information
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ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
PHASE2/PHASE3
26 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
2023-08-02
2026-06-30
Brief Summary
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Detailed Description
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Behavioral therapy (BT) is generally regarded as the first-line treatment for BFRBs. One type of BT is comprehensive behavioral treatment (ComB), a treatment that emphasizes habit reversal training and various techniques that target specific BFRB triggers (e.g., sensory cues, such as pressure on the scalp; environmental cues, such as bright lights and mirrors), including emotion dysregulation. The ComB protocol was methodically developed based on expert consensus and demonstrated promising results in one single case design study and a randomized controlled trial comparing it to a minimal attention control condition.
Research has also found benefit of pharmacological agents in the treatment of BFRBs. Most recently, a randomized controlled trial of memantine vs. placebo found statistically significant improvements in disorder severity and life functioning in the memantine group as compared to the placebo group.
Although there are emerging behavioral and psychopharmacological interventions for BFRBs, the research is limited. Additionally, there are no studies comparing the efficacy of first-line behavioral treatments to promising medication interventions for this class of disorders. Given the serious personal consequences associated with trichotillomania and skin picking disorder, there is substantial need for additional research to clarify the best available treatments for BFRBs. Doing so would facilitate future research and the development of refined treatment guidelines. Therefore, the current trial aims to compare the efficacy of behavioral therapy and memantine in adults with trichotillomania and skin picking disorder.
Conditions
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Study Design
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NA
SINGLE_GROUP
TREATMENT
NONE
Study Groups
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Memantine and Behavioral Therapy
All subjects will receive 8-weeks of memantine treatment (10mg po qday for the first two weeks, then 20 mg po qday for the remaining six weeks). After the 8-weeks of memantine treatment, the dose will be discontinued. Then, after a 4-week washout period, all subjects will receive 8-weeks of ComB therapy. Therapy will be once a week for 30 minutes. After the 8-weeks of ComB treatment, the therapy will be discontinued.
Memantine
Cognition-enhancing medication
ComB Behavioral Therapy
Therapy for BFRBs
Interventions
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Memantine
Cognition-enhancing medication
ComB Behavioral Therapy
Therapy for BFRBs
Other Intervention Names
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria
* 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
* 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
18 Years
ALL
No
Sponsors
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University of Chicago
OTHER
Responsible Party
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Principal Investigators
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Jon E Grant, MD, JD, MPH
Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
University of Chicago
Gregory Chasson, PhD
Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
University of Chicago
Locations
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University of Chicago Medical Center
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Countries
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References
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Grant JE, Chamberlain SR. Trichotillomania. Am J Psychiatry. 2016 Sep 1;173(9):868-74. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2016.15111432.
Woods DW, Flessner CA, Franklin ME, Keuthen NJ, Goodwin RD, Stein DJ, Walther MR; Trichotillomania Learning Center-Scientific Advisory Board. The Trichotillomania Impact Project (TIP): exploring phenomenology, functional impairment, and treatment utilization. J Clin Psychiatry. 2006 Dec;67(12):1877-88. doi: 10.4088/jcp.v67n1207.
Grant JE, Odlaug BL, Chamberlain SR, Keuthen NJ, Lochner C, Stein DJ. Skin picking disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 2012 Nov;169(11):1143-9. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2012.12040508.
Farhat LC, Olfson E, Nasir M, Levine JLS, Li F, Miguel EC, Bloch MH. Pharmacological and behavioral treatment for trichotillomania: An updated systematic review with meta-analysis. Depress Anxiety. 2020 Aug;37(8):715-727. doi: 10.1002/da.23028. Epub 2020 May 10.
Falkenstein MJ, Mouton-Odum S, Mansueto CS, Golomb RG, Haaga DA. Comprehensive Behavioral Treatment of Trichotillomania: A Treatment Development Study. Behav Modif. 2016 May;40(3):414-38. doi: 10.1177/0145445515616369. Epub 2015 Dec 7.
Bottesi G, Ouimet AJ, Cerea S, Granziol U, Carraro E, Sica C, Ghisi M. Comprehensive Behavioral Therapy of Trichotillomania: A Multiple-Baseline Single-Case Experimental Design. Front Psychol. 2020 Jun 10;11:1210. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01210. eCollection 2020.
Carlson EJ, Malloy EJ, Brauer L, Golomb RG, Grant JE, Mansueto CS, Haaga DAF. Comprehensive Behavioral (ComB) Treatment of Trichotillomania: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Behav Ther. 2021 Nov;52(6):1543-1557. doi: 10.1016/j.beth.2021.05.007. Epub 2021 Jun 3.
Swedo SE, Leonard HL, Rapoport JL, Lenane MC, Goldberger EL, Cheslow DL. A double-blind comparison of clomipramine and desipramine in the treatment of trichotillomania (hair pulling). N Engl J Med. 1989 Aug 24;321(8):497-501. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198908243210803.
Keuthen NJ, O'Sullivan RL, Ricciardi JN, Shera D, Savage CR, Borgmann AS, Jenike MA, Baer L. The Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Hairpulling Scale: 1. development and factor analyses. Psychother Psychosom. 1995;64(3-4):141-5. doi: 10.1159/000289003.
HAMILTON M. A rating scale for depression. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1960 Feb;23(1):56-62. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.23.1.56. No abstract available.
HAMILTON M. The assessment of anxiety states by rating. Br J Med Psychol. 1959;32(1):50-5. doi: 10.1111/j.2044-8341.1959.tb00467.x. No abstract available.
Patton JH, Stanford MS, Barratt ES. Factor structure of the Barratt impulsiveness scale. J Clin Psychol. 1995 Nov;51(6):768-74. doi: 10.1002/1097-4679(199511)51:63.0.co;2-1.
Other Identifiers
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IRB23-0033
Identifier Type: -
Identifier Source: org_study_id
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