An overview of trichotillomania and its response to treatment with quetiapine.

There is a lack of consensus about the pharmacological agent of choice to treat trichotillomania and which rating scales are best suited to measure the clinical severity and improvement of this condition. This overview summarizes the historical background, etiology, diagnostic criteria, epidemiology, course, prognosis, and various pharmacological treatments of trichotillomania. The case report describes a favorable clinical response of a 33-year-old female veteran with trichotillomania to the atypical antipsychotic quetiapine. It also provides data from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Hair Pulling Scale, a 7-item self-report scale that monitors symptom severity and treatment progress.