Education, and a "watch and wait" strategy, are the only treatment needed for many, and most individuals with tics do not seek treatment. When needed, management of tic disorders is similar to management of Tourette syndrome.[7] The first line of treatment is behavioural therapy, followed by medication (most often aripiprazole) if the former is unsuccessful.[8]
Although behavioural therapy is the recommended first treatment, many people with tics do not access it due to the lack of trained psychotherapists.[8]
Tic disorders are more commonly diagnosed in males than females.[3]
At least one in five children experience some form of tic disorder, most frequently between the ages of seven and twelve.[9][10] Tourette syndrome is the more severe expression of a spectrum of tic disorders, which are thought to be due to the same genetic vulnerability. Nevertheless, most cases of Tourette syndrome are not severe. Although a significant amount of investigative work indicates genetic linkage of the various tic disorders, further study is needed to confirm the relationship.[11]
DSM-5 was published in 2013, updating DSM-IV-TR, which was published in 2000. The following changes were made:[3][13][14][4]
The word stereotyped was removed from tic definition: stereotypies and stereotypic movement disorder are frequently misdiagnosed as tics or Tourette syndrome.[15] The definition of tic was made consistent for all tic disorders, and the word stereotyped was removed to help distinguish between stereotypies (common in autism spectrum disorders) and tic disorders.[16]
Provisional tic disorder approximately replaced transient tic disorder: because initially presenting tics may eventually be diagnosed as chronic tic disorder or Tourette's, transient suggested it could only be defined in retrospect (though that perception did not follow the DSM-IV-TR definition).[9] The term provisional "satisfies experts with a more systematic epidemiological approach to disorders", but should not imply that treatment might not be called for.[16]
Differentiation of chronic motor or vocal tic disorder: DSM-5 added a specifier to distinguish between vocal and motor tics that are chronic. This distinction was added because higher rates of comorbid diagnoses are present with vocal tics relative to motor tics.[16]
Now includes as Tourette's Disorder patients with tics who experienced a 3-month or longer remission since the first tic, as long as the first tic was at least a year ago.
Stimulant use as a cause removed: there is no evidence that the use of stimulants causes tic disorders.[16][17]
New categories, Other specified and Unspecified: for tic disorders that result in significant impairment to the individual yet do not meet the full criteria for other tic disorders.[3] The new categories account for tics with onset in adulthood,[3] or tics triggered by other medical conditions or illicit drug use.[16]
^Swain JE, Scahill L, Lombroso PJ, King RA, Leckman JF (August 2007). "Tourette syndrome and tic disorders: a decade of progress". Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 46 (8): 947–968. doi:10.1097/chi.0b013e318068fbcc. PMID17667475.
^Robertson MM, Eapen V (October 2014). "Tourette's: syndrome, disorder or spectrum? Classificatory challenges and an appraisal of the DSM criteria". Asian Journal of Psychiatry (Review). 11: 106–113. doi:10.1016/j.ajp.2014.05.010. PMID25453712.
^Swerdlow NR (September 2005). "Tourette syndrome: current controversies and the battlefield landscape". Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports. 5 (5): 329–31. doi:10.1007/s11910-005-0054-8. PMID16131414. S2CID26342334.
^Evidente VG (October 2000). "Is it a tic or Tourette's? Clues for differentiating simple from more complex tic disorders". Postgraduate Medicine. 108 (5): 175–6, 179–82. doi:10.3810/pgm.2000.10.1257. PMID11043089. S2CID43162987.
Dordain G (1986). "[The concept of tic in the history of abnormal movements]". Rev Neurol (Paris) (in French). 142 (11): 803–7. PMID3547545.
The Tourette Syndrome Classification Study Group (October 1993). "Definitions and classification of tic disorders. The Tourette Syndrome Classification Study Group". Archives of Neurology. 50 (10): 1013–6. doi:10.1001/archneur.1993.00540100012008. PMID8215958.
