Habit reversal training for the treatment of tics in Tourette syndrome

Abstract

Tics are sudden, rapid and repetitive stereotyped movements or vocalizations. Once thought to be a rare disorder, many children and adults are now known to suffer from tic disorders, including Tourette syndrome. Pharmacological treatments have been the most commonly used treatment modality for tic disorders. More to the point behavioral psychotherapies have been shown to be effective. The present article aims to introduce one of the behavioral techniques, namely Habit Reversal Training (HRT) for the treatment of tic disorders including Tourette syndrome and evaluate the results of randomized-controlled studies. Results of the studies with large groups of children and adults demonstrated that HRT are effective compared to the control groups. Future studies are needed to develop new behavioral treatments for those patients who do not respond to HRT and also to examine the effects of combining behavioral treatments for tics with pharmacotherapy.