NCT05003401

Leveraging Technological Advancements to Improve the Treatment of Trichotillomania

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 25 (actual)
• Sponsor: Johns Hopkins University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This project will examine the effect using the Keen 2 on hair pulling styles (automatic and focused), the severity of hair pulling behaviors, and related psychiatric symptoms. Given that the Keen2 is anticipated to increase awareness of pulling behavior (but not necessarily change pulling behavior), the investigators hypothesize that the Keen 2 will increase awareness of pulling behaviors and reduce automatic pulling behavior. The investigators will explore reductions in overall hair pulling severity and related psychiatric symptoms.

Detailed description

Novel technologies present one solution to help identify and reduce automatic pulling behaviors associated with trichotillomania (TTM). The Keen 2 is one such novel technology, which is a bracelet which gives the user alerts in the form of a vibration when the user is engaging in hair pulling behavior. Thus, using the Keen 2 could positively increase the awareness of automatic pulling behaviors, which is largely unaffected by existing evidence-based treatments like HRT. This information would be advantageous for the scientific community to determine the possible benefit of this approach to help individuals with TTM. This project will examine the effect using the Keen 2 on hair pulling styles (automatic and focused), the severity of hair pulling behaviors, and related psychiatric symptoms. Given that the Keen2 is anticipated to increase awareness of pulling behavior (but not necessarily change pulling behavior), the investigators hypothesize that the Keen 2 will increase awareness of pulling behaviors and reduce automatic pulling behavior. The investigators will explore reductions in overall hair pulling severity and related psychiatric symptoms.

Conditions

• Trichotillomania (Hair-Pulling Disorder)
• Trichotillomania
• Hair Pulling

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	HabitAware Keen2	Participants will receive an awareness bracelet to be worn on the dominant wrist over a period of 4 weeks. The bracelet device will vibrate when the participant is engaging in hair pulling behaviors. As hair pulling behaviors may occur outside of awareness (i.e., automatic pulling behaviors), this vibration and detection is anticipated to increase the participants awareness of hair pulling behaviors.

Timeline

• Start date: 2021-11-17
• Primary completion: 2024-07-16
• Completion: 2024-07-16
• First posted: 2021-08-12
• Last updated: 2024-09-19

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States