Electroconvulsive therapy in a patient with Tourette's syndrome and co-morbid Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Various strategies have been implemented to treat Tourette's syndrome (TS) and the frequently associated Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). While pharmacological interventions are widely used and have proven efficacy in the treatment of both disorders, ECT has not been considered a first-line treatment option. A few anecdotal reports of treatment with ECT for patients with co-morbid depression and tic disorder are available in the literature. ECT also has been used in the treatment of refractory OCD. We present the case of a 39-year-old female patient, who has chronically suffered from both TS and OCD. After a course of nine electroconvulsive treatments, her symptomatology resolved fairly rapidly. Monthly outpatient ECT sessions were arranged in order to sustain the positive treatment outcome. Since then, remission of both disorders has been maintained successfully for more than a year.