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.