Mental Health Providers’ Knowledge of Trichotillomania and Skin Picking Disorder, and Their Treatment

In 2006, Marcks and colleagues assessed healthcare providers’ knowledge of trichotillomania and its treatment and found a general lack of knowledge of trichotillomania and limited experience in providing treatment. Due to growth in knowledge of and treatments for trichotillomania, we aimed to replicate Marcks and colleagues’ study and extend it to include skin picking.

In this study, all licensed mental health providers (e.g., social workers, psychologists; N = 329) in Utah were contacted via email to complete an online survey assessing knowledge and treatment of trichotillomania and skin picking.

Approximately half of participants had never treated a client for trichotillomania or skin picking. Participants had largely outdated or inaccurate knowledge of diagnostic criteria for trichotillomania and skin picking, and inaccurately identified evidence-based treatments (e.g., 30% noted psychoanalysis and 25% noted hypnosis as effective Participants reported feeling that their training had not prepared them to treat either disorder and expressed interest in additional education.

Provider knowledge of trichotillomania and skin picking remains limited, and a need for enhanced education and training on these disorders exists. Providers indicated interest in training opportunities (e.g., workshops on diagnosis and evidence-based treatments). Implications of these findings and future directions are discussed.