THE CLINICAL-FEATURES OF TOURETTES DISORDER WITH OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVESYMPTOMS

Twenty-three patients with Tourette's disorder (13 with obsessive-comp ulsive symptoms [OCS] and 10 without) were comparatively investigated. In contrast to OCS-free Tourette's disorder patients, those with OCS were found to be characterized by (i) a higher incidence of volatile t emper, (ii) a higher incidence of compulsive ties, (iii) a higher inci dence of perinatal disorders and brain wave abnormalities, (iv) a high er severity as rated using the Severity Scale, and (v) a higher preval ence of complications, especially of developmental disorders. Of the s ubjects with OCS-accompanied Tourette's disorder, approximately half h ad developed OCS by the onset of ties. These findings suggest the like lihood that OCS-accompanied Tourette's disorder is more strongly assoc iated with organic cerebral disorders, independently of sites of tic d isorders, than is OCS-free Tourette's disorder.