Advances in Tourette’s syndrome

Tourette’s is a neurodevelopmental disorder usually beginning in childhood or adolescence and presents with involuntary tics or vocalisations and is more common in males. It has an overall childhood prevalence of around 0.6% and has no ethnic or socio-economic predilection. Most affected children have another mental, behavioural, or developmental disorder with the commonest being anxiety and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and struggle with social competence and skills. Around one third of people with Tourette’s also have obsessive–compulsive disorder. Although in many cases tics decrease during adolescence and early adulthood, and indeed can disappear completely, some continue tics into adulthood and may even worsen. As a result, Tourette’s represents somewhat of a ‘Peter Pan’ disorder in that it commonly straddles care boundaries between child and adult neurology, psychiatric and psychology services