The Treatment of Tourette's Syndrome: Multimodal, Developmental Intervention

The increasing clinical recognition of milder phenotypic variants of Tourette’s syndrome and thekeener appreciation of its phenomenological continuity with other transient and chronic tic syndromeshave required a greater comprehensiveness and sophistication in the assessment and management ofthe disorder. Treatment must be individualized based on considerations of the source and degree offunctional impairment associated with tics, the current and future impairment associated with comorbidillnesses, the available internal and external sources of support and capacities for coping, and thechallenges that the tics and comorbidities present at varying stages of development. Specific therapeuticinterventions must target not only tic symptoms, but also comorbid illnesses and coping strategiesthat can profoundly influence the unique impact that tic symptoms may have on an individual’s wellbeing during childhood and adolescence, and later into adulthood.