Treatment of hairpulling (Trichotillomania): A comparative study of habit reversal and negative practice training

Hairpulling is an uncommon behavior which has received little study and for which effective treatment has not been established. The present study evaluated the habit reversal and the negative practice method of treatment with 34 subjects randomly assigned to the two treatments. Habit reversal was about twice as effective as the negative practice with respect to the average percentage reduction in hairpulling episodes, the number of subjects who stopped hairpulling entirely, and those who stopped almost entirely. Follow-up phone calls or a single booster session were often effective in preventing or correcting the relapses. It appears that hairpulling can be successfully treated by brief habit reversal training with substantial and enduring benefits.