Methylphenidate in ADHD With Trichotillomania

This study will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of methylphenidate in treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children with both ADHD and trichotillomania. Trichotillomania is an impulse control disorder. There is growing evidences of the involvement of dopaminergic neurotransmission in the pathophysiology of trichotillomania. Reported increase in the prevalence of ADHD among patients with impulse control disorders, such as pathological gambling as well as trichotillomania, may result from the overlapping pathophisiological background. It is hypothesized that in cases of ADHD comorbid with trichotillomania methtylphenidate treatment will exhibit beneficial effects in both the ADHD and the hair pulling.