N-Acetyl Cysteine in Pathologic Skin Picking

Summary

The goal of the proposed study is to evaluate the comparative efficacy of N-acetyl cysteine to placebo in pathologic skin picking. Thirty subjects with pathologic skin picking will receive 12 weeks of double-blind treatment with N-acetyl cysteine or matching placebo. The hypothesis to be tested is that N-acetyl cysteine will be more effective than placebo in patients with pathologic skin picking. The proposed study will provide needed data on the treatment of an often disabling disorder that currently lacks a clearly effective treatment.

Timeline

Start

2012-09

Primary completion

2015-07

Completion

2015-07

Publications

• Background Arnold LM, Auchenbach MB, McElroy SL. Psychogenic excoriation. Clinical features, proposed diagnostic criteria, epidemiology and approaches to treatment. CNS Drugs. 2001;15(5):351-9. doi: 10.2165/00023210-200115050-00002.
• Background Grant JE, Odlaug BL. Update on pathological skin picking. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2009 Aug;11(4):283-8. doi: 10.1007/s11920-009-0041-x.
• Grant JE, Chesivoir E, Valle S, Ehsan D, Chamberlain SR. Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study of Memantine in Trichotillomania and Skin-Picking Disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 2023 May 1;180(5):348-356. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20220737. Epub 2023 Feb 22.
• Grant JE, Chamberlain SR, Redden SA, Leppink EW, Odlaug BL, Kim SW. N-Acetylcysteine in the Treatment of Excoriation Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry. 2016 May 1;73(5):490-6. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.0060.

Drugs

Indications