To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: DG DISPATCH - AACAP: AD/HD A Major Factor In Tic Disorder URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/13EE6E.htm Doctor's Guide October 27, 1999
By Lara Pullen Special to DG News CHICAGO, IL -- October 27, 1999 -- Individuals with Tourette syndrome (a severe form of tic disorder) who are referred for clinical care also frequently suffer from attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD). A new study suggests that AD/HD may, in fact, account for much of the impairment seen in patients with tic disorder. At the 46th annual meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Dr. Thomas Spencer, of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), in Boston, presented data from the MGH Study of Tic and AD/HD Disorders, which analyzed 929 consecutive referrals to pediatric psychopharmacology. In this study, the researchers found that while 20 percent of children with AD/HD had a tic disorder, 94 percent of children with a tic disorder had AD/HD. The children with tics plus AD/HD or with AD/HD alone had similarly high rates of mood disorders, antisocial disorders and anxiety disorders. In addition, children in both groups (tics plus AD/HD and AD/HD alone) had an almost identical patterns of cognitive impairment, lower academic achievement, arithmetic learning disabilities and impairment in global assessment of functioning ratings. Tic-related disorders not accounted for by AD/HD included obsessive compulsive disorder and simple phobias. Dr. Spencer emphasized that treatment of AD/HD may be sufficient in those patients with tics plus AD/HD and there may be no need to treat specifically for tics. Only rarely do tics cause impairments and they tend to improve with time even in the absence of pharmacotherapy, he said. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.