Rates and Clinical Correlates of Cannabis Use in Trichotillomania and Skin Picking Disorder.

Despite rising rates of cannabis use across the United States, and in psychiatric populations especially, relatively limited attention has been paid to rates of cannabis use in individuals with body focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) such as trichotillomania and skin picking disorder. Using data from an online survey, we collected rates of past-year cannabis use among individuals with BFRBs and investigated whether cannabis use is associated with the clinical presentation of trichotillomania and/or skin picking disorder. We found that approximately 33% of individuals reported past-year cannabis use. Additionally, past-year cannabis use was associated with more days per week spent pulling or picking, and in the case of trichotillomania, cannabis use was associated with heightened distress due to the BFRB. These findings highlight the need for research to more fully investigate cannabis use in the BFRB population and its relationship to disorder symptomatology.