A double-blind comparison of clomipramine and desipramine in the treatment of trichotillomania

Article Abstract:

Trichotillomania is an irresistible urge of a patient to pull out his or her own hair. As many as eight million Americans may be afflicted by this psychiatric illness of unknown origin. The condition usually begins in childhood, mainly in adolescent girls, and often persists past adolescence. Treatments for trichotillomania have included psychotherapy, medication and behavior-modification. Although there have been some reports of successful psychoanalytic treatment, the illness is generally resistant to treatment, and return to the destructive hair-pulling pattern often occurs. The present study compares the results of treatment with a standard anti-depressive drug, desipramine, and clomipramine. Clomipramine belongs to a new class of psychologically active pharmaceutical agents which moderate the level of a normal brain hormone, serotonin. Treatment with clomipramine significantly reduced the hair pulling symptoms. The patients also reported a decrease in the intensity of their compulsive urges to pull out their hair. The systematic treatment by clomipramine clearly was superior to the therapeutic effect of desipramine. Clomipramine has been shown in other studies to be a very effective against obsessive-compulsive disorders, and this leads to the hypothesis that trichotillomania may be related to this class of disorders. The persistent long-term effects of this type of psychopharmacologic treatment are unknown.

Evaluation, Causes of, Drug therapy, Desipramine, Trichotillomania, Clomipramine

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A 45-Year-Old Woman With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Article Abstract:

The diagnosis and treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder is reviewed, using the case of a 45-year-old woman as an illustration. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is characterized by an obsession or compulsion to carry out specific activities that interfere with normal functioning.

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Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Article Abstract:

Obsessive-compulsive disorder often begins in childhood. The most common signs are excessive washing, grooming, checking rituals, and preoccupation with disease and danger. Cognitive-behavioral therapy and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are both effective.

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