000005308 001__ 5308 000005308 005__ 20240523043314.0 000005308 02470 $$ahttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.psycom.2022.100090$$2doi 000005308 037__ $$aTEXTUAL$$bArticle 000005308 041__ $$aeng 000005308 245__ $$aExamining the effects of caffeine consumption on the severity of body-focused repetitive behaviors 000005308 269__ $$a2022-11-30 000005308 336__ $$aArticle 000005308 520__ $$aCaffeine has long been discussed in communities of individuals with body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs), a group of compulsive disorders including trichotillomania (TTM) and skin picking disorder (SPD), as a potential trigger for worsening symptoms. While the anxiogenic effects of caffeine have been well characterized, findings from studies on disorders related to BFRBs have yielded mixed results. This study aimed to examine the effect of caffeine consumption on BFRB symptom severity. Subjects reported their caffeine consumption in the past week and completed measures related to BFRB severity and other clinical outcomes. Participants who reported moderate daily caffeine use (150–300 mg) had significantly lower scores on severity scales compared to subjects who reported low (<150 mg) or high (>300 mg) daily caffeine use. The results of this analysis indicate that moderate caffeine consumption is associated with less severe BFRB symptoms. It is possible that moderate caffeine use increases alertness in adults with BFRBs who pull or pick subconsciously, without triggering anxiety-induced BFRBs. Prospective clinical trials should be conducted to provide clearer insight into the effect of caffeine and other psychostimulants on BFRBs. 000005308 540__ $$a<p>© 2022 The Authors</p> <p>This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/" target="_blank">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/</a>).</p> 000005308 542__ $$fCC BY-NC-ND 000005308 6531_ $$aTrichotillomania 000005308 6531_ $$aSkin picking 000005308 6531_ $$aCaffeine 000005308 690__ $$aBiological Sciences Division 000005308 690__ $$aPritzker School of Medicine 000005308 691__ $$aPsychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience 000005308 7001_ $$1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9099-2589$$2ORCID$$aChesivoir, Eve K.$$uUniversity of Chicago 000005308 7001_ $$1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7784-7021$$2ORCID$$aGrant, Jon E.$$uUniversity of Chicago 000005308 773__ $$tPsychiatry Research Communications 000005308 8564_ $$yArticle$$986a237dd-ece4-45a3-b623-013d668b7205$$s377190$$uhttps://knowledge.uchicago.edu/record/5308/files/Examining-the-effects-of-caffeine-consumption-on-the-severity-of-body-focused-repetitive-behaviors.pdf$$ePublic 000005308 8564_ $$yGraphical abstract$$9ca36535d-5415-4b88-a70d-b67ab6ca1e02$$s53424$$uhttps://knowledge.uchicago.edu/record/5308/files/1-s2.0-S277259872200071X-ga1.jpg$$ePublic 000005308 8564_ $$ySupplementary data$$9d066cac3-b907-4cdb-997a-22a968570ef0$$s23112$$uhttps://knowledge.uchicago.edu/record/5308/files/1-s2.0-S277259872200071X-mmc1.docx$$ePublic 000005308 908__ $$aI agree 000005308 909CO $$ooai:uchicago.tind.io:5308$$pGLOBAL_SET 000005308 983__ $$aArticle