title: Clinical Characteristics of Children and Adolescents with a Primary Tic Disorder.
abstract: The clinical characteristics and rates of co-occurring psychiatric conditions in youth seeking treatment for a chronic tic disorder (CTD) were examined. Children and adolescents (N= 126) with a primary CTD diagnosis were recruited for a randomized controlled treatment trial. An expert clinician established diagnostic status via semi-structured interview. Participants were male (78.6%), Caucasians (84.9%), mean age 11.7 years (SD= 2.3) with moderate-to-severe tics who met criteria for Tourette's disorder (93.7%). Common co-occurring conditions included attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; 26%), social phobia (21%), generalized anxiety disorder (20%), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD; 19%). Motor and vocal tics with greater intensity, complexity, and interference were associated with increased impairment. Youth with a CTD seeking treatment for tics should be evaluated for non-OCD anxiety disorders in addition to ADHD and OCD. Despite the presence of co-occurring conditions, children with more forceful, complex, and/or directly interfering tics may seek treatment to reduce tic severity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 600 North Wolfe Street/CMSC 314, Baltimore, MD 21287-3325, USA.
authors.forename: Matt W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Specht
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
authors.forename: Douglas W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Woods
authors.affiliation: Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, UCLA Neuropsychiartic Hospital, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Piacentini
authors.affiliation: Yale School of Nursing and Child Study Center, Yale University School of Nursing, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Lawrence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Scahill
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wilhelm
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiarty, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Alan L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.affiliation: Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, UCLA Neuropsychiartic Hospital, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Susanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 600 North Wolfe Street/CMSC 314, Baltimore, MD 21287-3325, USA.
authors.forename: Hayden
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kepley
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Thilo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Deckersbach
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Flessner
authors.affiliation: Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, UCLA Neuropsychiartic Hospital, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Brian A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Buzzella
authors.affiliation: Yale School of Nursing and Child Study Center, Yale University School of Nursing, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: McGuire
authors.affiliation: Tourette Syndrome Association, Bayside, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Levi-Pearl
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 600 North Wolfe Street/CMSC 314, Baltimore, MD 21287-3325, USA.
authors.forename: John T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Walkup
keywords: Anxiety; Comorbid; Impairment; Tics; Tourette’s disorder