THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TIC DISORDERS AND TOURETTES-SYNDROME REVISITED

Objective: The relationship between Tourette's syndrome (TS) and chron ic tic disorder is of great clinical acid scientific importance becaus e of uncertainties in both prognosis and pharmacotherapeutic strategie s. One approach to evaluating the relationship between TS and chronic ties is to examine whether they share similar neuropsychological and p sychiatric correlates. Method: Children with TS (n = 32) and children with chronic ties (n = 39) were ascertained from an unselected sample of the children referred for psychopharmacological treatment and exami ned using standardized diagnostic assessments and testing procedures. Results: Children with TS and those with chronic ties were similar to each other and different from controls in clinical correlates that inc luded psychiatric comorbidity, as well as school, neuropsychological, and psychosocial impairments. Patients with TS also had higher rates o f obsessive-compulsive disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and si mple phobia than did patients with chronic tic disorder. Conclusions: These findings indicate that TS and chronic tic disorder are part of t he same disease entity, with TS being a more severe form of tic disord er.