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7/20/2006
Latest publication on StopPulling.com
We are thrilled to announce that the first paper outlining the development and program evaluation for the first year of StopPulling.com will be published in the August issue of Cognitive and Behavioral Practice. This journal is primarily read by psychologists and is not readily available to the public. As a result, we will post the Abstract here for you to read. Essentially, we got very promising results! We saw statistically significant decreases in both the number of hairs pulled, as well as hair pulling severity as measured by the Massachesetts General Hospital Hair Pulling Survey. Moreover, results showed that the longer people stayed on the program, the more improvement they made. Results were based on data from 265 users. We are so excited!!!
StopPulling.com: An interactive, self-help program for trichotillomania
Suzanne Mouton-Odum, Ph.D.
Private Practice, Houston, TX
Nancy J. Keuthen, Ph.D.
Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Paula D. Wagener, B.A.
&
Melinda A. Stanley, Ph.D.
Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine
Houston Center for Quality of Care and Utilization Studies
Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Houston, TX
Abstract
Despite the widespread nature and significant impact of trichotillomania (TTM), relatively few controlled studies have evaluated treatment options for people with this disorder. Pharmacological treatment and behavior therapy are the two most widely accepted approaches to treating TTM, but few mental health professionals with appropriate expertise are available to provide care. The cost of treatment also is prohibitive in some cases. A number of self-help books are available for people with TTM, but no empirical data have documented associated outcomes. This paper describes the development and two phases of program evaluation for an alternative, Internet-based self-help treatment strategy for repetitive hair pulling. StopPulling.com is an on-line, interactive self-help approach derived from evidence-based cognitive behavioral models of treatment for TTM. Following program development, an initial test phase elicited feedback from individuals with repetitive hair pulling and professionals with expertise in the treatment of TTM or website development. StopPulling.com was modified in accordance with feedback from this initial test phase, and a revised version was made available to the public in January 2003. Preliminary data from 265 users of the program during the first year of public availability suggested significant improvement in symptoms, with some evidence that duration of program use accounted for reductions in symptom severity. Response rates were comparable to long-term follow-up after more intense cognitive behavioral treatment. StopPulling.com may provide a potentially useful self-help alternative or adjunctive treatment for repetitive hair pulling.
Questions or Comments? Email me at info@stoppulling.com.
Suzanne Mouton-Odum, Ph.D.
Lead Developer, StopPulling.com
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Trichotillomania
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People with hair loss due to pulling tend to avoid certain activities such as professional hair cuts, swimming, sports, intimate sexual encounters, and windy or well-lit places.
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