title: A measure of functional impairment in youth with Tourette's syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Tourette's Syndrome (TS) during childhood is linked to varied behavioral and psychological difficulties and functional impairment. The current study was undertaken to examine both tic-related impairment and impairment from other psychological problems in 59 youth (mean age 11.4 years, 69% male) with TS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Caretakers completed a checklist about the impact of tics and other psychological difficulties on family, school, and social functioning. In addition, a clinician administered a measure of tic severity to families.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over half of the sample reported one significant problem area due to the presence of tics, with over a third reporting two or more problem areas. Problems were heterogeneous in nature, with no report of a particular problem area in more than 25% of the children. The rate of nontic-related impairment was very high, with 70% of parents reporting at least one problem area.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Treating both tic and nontic-related impairments concurrently may improve functioning more so than treating the symptoms separately.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Box 100234, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA. estorch@psychiatry.ufl.edu
authors.forename: Eric A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Storch
authors.forename: Caleb W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Lack
authors.forename: Laura E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Simons
authors.forename: Wayne K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Goodman
authors.forename: Tanya K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: Gary R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Geffken
mesh_terms: D017028:Caregivers; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015588:Observer Variation; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D005879:Tourette Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology