ENVIRONMENTAL-FACTORS AND RELATED FLUCTUATION OF SYMPTOMS IN CHILDRENAND ADOLESCENTS WITH TOURETTES DISORDER

The purpose of this paper is to assess how 29 different environmental factors affected Tourette symptomatology in 14 children and adolescent s (6.6-14.5 years; mean 10.3) who had never received any medication fo r their disorder. Assessment was based on patients' responses to the T ourette Syndrome (TS) Questionnaire. Eleven different factors were ass ociated with a decrease in symptoms and included doctor visits, talkin g to friends, and reading for pleasure. The 10 factors reported to hav e no impact on Tourette symptomatology included various foods, weather , and living away from home. Seventeen factors associated with an incr ease in Tourette symptoms included events causing anxiety, emotional t rauma, and social gatherings.