Tourette’s and Tic Disorders

Abstract

Tic disorders generally first appear between 5 and 6 years of age. Symptoms tend to increase with severity peaking around 10-12 years of age, gradually decreasing following puberty and remising in late adolescence and adulthood. Tourette's disorder is the most severe of tic disorders. Symptom onset is often gradual, initially with simple motor tics, and progresses in a rostrocaudal direction (i.e., from the head down). It is frequently reported that individuals with tic disorders also experience comorbid psychiatric disorders. These include attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety, depression, learning disabilities, and oppositional defiant and conduct disorder. This chapter includes four sections: first, a review the history of Tourette's and tic disorders with a focus on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) diagnostic criteria; second, a discussion of research on prevalence rate, symptom presentation and developmental course, and etiology and mechanisms; third, a description of comorbid disorders that often present alongside tic disorders and functional impairments; and fourth, Tourette's disorder and tic disorder diagnostics and current behavioral, pharmacological, and other medical treatments. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)