Can Oxidative Stress Biomarkers Differentiate Trichotillomania from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Healthy Controls?

This study investigated oxidative stress biomarkers in differentiating trichotillomania (TTM), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and healthy controls (HC), focusing on thiol-disulfide homeostasis, total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant status (TAS), and ischemia-modified albumin (IMA). A total of 68 adolescent females aged 10-18 were recruited and divided into three groups: TTM (n = 24), OCD (n = 21), and HC (n = 23). Oxidative stress biomarkers were assessed through blood analyses, including measurements of thiol-disulfide homeostasis, TOS, TAS, and IMA. Blood analyses revealed that TTM patients had significantly lower native and total thiol levels, a reduced native/total thiol ratio, and elevated disulfide levels compared to OCD and HC (p < 0.01). ROC analysis indicated that the native thiol/total thiol ratio effectively distinguished TTM from both HC and OCD with high accuracy. These findings reveal distinct oxidative stress patterns in TTM and OCD, with disrupted thiol-disulfide homeostasis in TTM and elevated oxidative burden in OCD. The discriminative power of the native thiol/total thiol ratio suggests molecular-level differences, which may inform the etiopathogenesis of TTM and support the development of targeted treatment strategies.