Psych Vivas · General adult psychiatry — OCRD / BFRB
Trichotillomania and excoriation disorder — structured clinical viva
Fellowship viva on BFRB treatment hierarchy, HRT fidelity, NAC RCTs, olanzapine cautions, and medical complications.
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Target exams
Interpretation
Reveal interpretation
This is co-occurring trichotillomania and excoriation disorder within the OCRD/BFRB spectrum, not “failed OCD” unless multi-theme OCD is separately demonstrated. Supportive talk is not HRT; fluoxetine 20 mg is not an adequate BFRB pharmacologic trial and does not replace behaviour therapy. Meta-analytic data favour behaviour therapy over SRI for core hair-pulling.[4][6]
First-line plan: engage with specialised HRT (awareness, competing response, stimulus control), with ACT-enhanced or ComB packages where available. Pharmacologically, discuss adult NAC (Grant 2009 TTM; Grant 2016 SPD) toward 1200–2400 mg/day oral if she wants medication with better BFRB-specific RCT support than low-dose SSRI alone. If she asks about children/family members, cite Bloch 2013 paediatric NAC null — do not oversell NAC in youth.[1][2][3]
Olanzapine demand. There is a small positive RCT (Van Ameringen 2010), but metabolic adverse effects make it a specialist later option, not a preferred first medication over HRT and NAC discussion.[5][6]
Trichophagia. Explicitly assess abdominal symptoms and arrange urgent medical review if obstruction features; educate about trichobezoar risk even if currently asymptomatic.[6]
Key points
[1] [3] [5] [6]References
- [1]Grant JE, Odlaug BL, Kim SW N-acetylcysteine, a glutamate modulator, in the treatment of trichotillomania: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study Arch Gen Psychiatry, 2009.PMID 19581567
- [2]Bloch MH, Panza KE, Grant JE, et al. N-Acetylcysteine in the treatment of pediatric trichotillomania: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled add-on trial J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 2013.PMID 23452680
- [3]Grant JE, Chamberlain SR, Redden SA, et al. N-Acetylcysteine in the Treatment of Excoriation Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial JAMA Psychiatry, 2016.PMID 27007062
- [4]McGuire JF, Ung D, Selles RR, et al. Treating trichotillomania: a meta-analysis of treatment effects and moderators for behavior therapy and serotonin reuptake inhibitors J Psychiatr Res, 2014.PMID 25108618
- [5]Van Ameringen M, Mancini C, Patterson B, et al. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of olanzapine in the treatment of trichotillomania J Clin Psychiatry, 2010.PMID 20441724
- [6]Grant JE, Chamberlain SR Trichotillomania and Skin-Picking Disorder: An Update Focus (Am Psychiatr Publ), 2021.PMID 35747295