Bj. Coffey et al., Distinguishing illness severity from tic severity in children and adolescents with Tourette's disorder, J AM A CHIL, 39(5), 2000, pp. 556-561
Citations number
25
Categorie Soggetti
Psychiatry
Journal title
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRY
Objective: To examine whether tic severity, comorbid disorders, or both are
associated with illness morbidity in youths with Tourette's disorder (TD).
Method: Subjects were 156 consecutively referred youths (aged 5-20 years)
who met DSM-III-R criteria for Tourette's disorder at a major academic medi
cal center. All subjects were evaluated with a clinical interview by a chil
d and adolescent psychiatrist and an assessment battery that included the S
chedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-E
pidemiologic version. Statistical analysis used chi(2) and multivariate log
istic regression. Results: Nineteen (12%) of the 156 youths with TD require
d psychiatric hospitalization. Current age, TD severity, TD duration, obses
sive-compulsive disorder, psychosis, major depression, bipolar disorder, pa
nic disorder, and overanxious disorder were significant univariate predicto
rs of psychiatric hospitalization (p < .01]. While tic severity was margina
lly significant as a predictor of psychiatric hospitalization (p < .05), ma
jor depression (p < .016) and bipolar disorder (p < .001) were robust predi
ctors of psychiatric hospitalization, even after statistical adjustment far
collinearity and correction for all other variables assessed. Conclusion:
The findings indicate that comorbid mood disorders are strongly associated
with illness morbidity in youths with TD, highlighting the importance of at
tention to comorbidity in patients with TD.