Better pre-treatment response inhibition predicts positive treatment outcomes in trichotillomania
A recent study published in Behaviour Research & Therapy shows that better pre-treatment response inhibition in individuals with trichotillomania predicts more positive treatment outcomes, irrespective of treatment type. Trichotillomania (TTM), a psychiatric condition characterized by repetitive hair pulling, often leads to significant psychological and functional impairments. Research has suggested that individuals with TTM exhibit neurocognitive deficits, particularly in response inhibition and cognitive flexibility. However, it remains unclear how these deficits influence treatment outcomes. Kathryn E. Barber and colleagues investigated whether neurocognitive functioning—specifically, response inhibition and cognitive flexibility—could predict treatment response and symptom severity in individuals undergoing behavior therapy for TTM. While behavior therapy is the standard for TTM, acceptance-enhanced behavior therapy (AEBT), which incorporates acceptance and commitment therapy, addresses internal experiences associated with hair-pulling. However, the predictive role of neurocognitive impairments in treatment outcomes remains underexplored, motivating this study. The study involved 88 adults (ages 18-65). Eligibility was determined based on several criteria, including a diagnosis of TTM according to the DSM-IV-TR and a minimum score of 12 on the Massachusetts General Hospital Hairpulling Scale …