Decoupling[1] is a behavioral self-help intervention for
body-focused and related behaviors (
DSM-5) such as
trichotillomania, onychophagia (
nail biting),
skin picking and
lip-cheek biting. The user is instructed to modify the original dysfunctional behavioral path by performing a counter-movement shortly before completing the
self-injurious behavior (e.g., biting nails, picking skin, pulling hair). This is intended to trigger an irritation, which enables the person to detect and stop the
compulsive behavior at an early stage. A systematic review from 2012 suggested some efficacy of decoupling,[2] which was corroborated by Lee et al. [3] in 2019. Whether or not the technique is superior to other behavioral interventions such as
habit reversal training awaits to be tested. Decoupling is a variant of
habit reversal training.
References
^Moritz, Steffen; Rufer, Michael (2011). "Movement decoupling: A self-help intervention for the treatment of trichotillomania". Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry. 42 (1): 74–80.
doi:
10.1016/j.jbtep.2010.07.001.
PMID20674888.
^Sarris, Jerome; Camfield, David; Berk, Michael (2012). "Complementary medicine, self-help, and lifestyle interventions for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and the OCD spectrum: A systematic review". Journal of Affective Disorders. 138 (3): 213–221.
doi:
10.1016/j.jad.2011.04.051.
PMID21620478.