Tic disorders in childhood (and beyond)

Tic disorders are classified into three main categories: transient (duration more than 1 month but less than 1 year), chronic (duration more than 1 year), and Tourette's syndrome (multiple motor and vocal tics lasting more than 1 year to life). Typically, symptoms increase with emotional stress, diminish with distraction or concentration, and disappear during sleep. Because of the risks involved and the lack of any truly curative value, drug therapy should be used only when tics are seriously disabling. Haloperidol (Haldol), the most widely prescribed medication, is efficacious in about 80% of patients with Tourette's syndrome. Psychotherapy is not effective as a primary therapeutic strategy; it may, however, be indicated in selected cases to relieve the grief and frustration of parents and to help affected children deal with the disorder.