Psychodrama Group Therapy for Excoriation Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial with a Bayesian Analysis

Excoriation disorder (ED) involves uncontrollable skin picking, not explained by a dermatologic or other psychological conditions. ED is associated with emotion regulation impairment, psychosocial distress, and psychiatric comorbidities. This study investigated the efficacy of psychodrama group therapy (PGT) in reducing ED symptoms. A randomized controlled trial compared psychodrama group therapy (PGT, n = 26) and support group therapy (SGT, n = 27) as a control. The comparison included ED severity, psychosocial impact, emotion regulation, depression, anxiety, social adjustment, and general clinical status. Bayesian ANOVA models showed improvement in skin excoriation (BFincl = 1.15e + 7), emotional regulation (BFincl = 258.12), depression (BFincl = 89.73), impact of excoriation (BFincl = 71.69) and anxiety (BFincl = 20.27) over time for both groups. PGT was not more effective than SGT, but group psychotherapy is a valuable treatment option for ED.