title: The prevalence of Tourette syndrome in a mainstream school population.
abstract: The aim of this study was to ascertain accurately the prevalence of Tourette syndrome (TS) in a mainstream school population. All year 9 pupils (aged 13 to 14 years) in a mainstream secondary school were investigated using a two-stage procedure. Standardized questionnaires were completed by parents, teachers, and pupils. Class observations were also carried out to identify tics. Those pupils identified as having tics underwent a semistructured interview to determine whether they had TS according to DSM-III-R criteria. Data were available from at least one source (parent, teacher, or self-reports) on 166 of the 167 pupils in the year. Five subjects were identified as having TS according to DSM-III-R criteria, yielding a prevalence estimate of 299 per 10,000 pupils in this age group. The results of this study suggest that TS in the community as a whole is more common and milder than those prevalence estimates and descriptions of the disorder based on TS encountered in secondary or tertiary health-care service settings.
authors.affiliation: Section of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University College London, UK.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mason
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Banerjee
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Eapen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zeitlin
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Robertson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008282:Mainstreaming, Education; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012574:Schools; D017678:Sex Distribution; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D005879:Tourette Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology