Can a common antipsychotic curb Hair-Pulling and Skin-Picking?
NCT ID NCT05545891
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether aripiprazole (Abilify) can reduce urges and behaviors in adults with trichotillomania (hair-pulling) or skin-picking disorder. One hundred participants will receive either the drug or a placebo for 6 weeks. Researchers will track symptom changes using standard severity scales.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- aripiprazole (Abilify)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a medication option for people with hair-pulling or skin-picking disorders.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial. The drug may not work better than placebo, and aripiprazole can cause side effects like drowsiness or weight gain.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
-
About 100 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
-
Jun 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
-
Dec 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
18 years and older
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Men and women age ≥18 years 2. current DSM-5 trichotillomania or skin picking disorder; and 3. Ability to understand and sign the consent form. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Unstable medical illness based on history or clinically significant abnormalities on baseline physical examination 2. Current pregnancy or lactation, or inadequate contraception in women of childbearing potential 3. Subjects considered an immediate suicide risk based on the Columbia Suicide Severity rating Scale (C-SSRS) (www.cssrs.columbia.edu/docs) 4. Past 12-month DSM-5 diagnosis of psychosis, bipolar disorder, mania, or a substance or alcohol use disorder 5. Illegal substance use based on urine toxicology screening 6. Stable dose of medications for at least the past 3 months 7. Previous treatment with aripiprazole 8. Cognitive impairment that interferes with the capacity to understand and self-administer medication or provide written informed consent
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Dermatillomania are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois, 60637, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.