Psychopathology in children and adolescents with Tourette's syndrome: a controlled study.
OBJECTIVE
Few controlled studies have considered, in paediatric subjects, associations between Tourette's syndrome (TS) and psychiatric/behavioural disorders. We conducted a case-control study to verify the reproducibility of the few data published on this topic to date.


METHODS
Clinicians' impression (i.e. structured interviews and usual history taking), standardized psychiatric and behavioural rating scales (CBCL, TAI, CDI, CRS-R:L, Y-GTSS, CY-BOCS) were used to investigate these associations in 17 youngsters with TS and in 17 age- and sex-matched controls.


RESULTS
The clinician's diagnoses revealed TS alone in 23.5% of the patients (4/17), TS plus attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in 11.8% (2/17), TS plus obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in 41.2% (7/17), and TS plus ADHD and OCD in 23.5% (4/17). No control subject presented ADHD and/or OCD. These clinical findings were confirmed by Child Behaviour Check List (CBCL) results. The TS group, compared with the controls, recorded significantly higher CBCL scores in scales relating to the main comorbid conditions. No significant differences emerged on the Children's Depression Inventory or Test Anxiety Inventory.


CONCLUSIONS
TS patients have a high prevalence of psychiatric and behavioural problems compared with controls. The CBCL is a rapid and useful screening-diagnostic instrument for highlighting the main psychiatric and behavioural problems in TS.
Termine
Cristiano
C
Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Insubria, Via F. del Ponte 19, 21100 Varese, Italy. critermine@libero.it
Balottin
Umberto
U
Rossi
Giorgio
G
Maisano
Francesca
F
Salini
Silvia
S
Di Nardo
Roberta
R
Lanzi
Giovanni
G
D000293:Adolescent; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011599:Psychopathology / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D005879:Tourette Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*