Tourette's disorder: epidemiology and comorbidity in primary school children.

• Objective To study prevalence and comorbidity of Tourette's disorder in the general population of children and in a clinical setting. Method School-age children in the general population and children attending a county-wide tic disorder clinic were screened and examined by the same doctor. Behavioral-psychometric instruments with demonstrated reliability and validity were used. Results Depending on the sample characteristics, 0.15% to 1.1% of all children had Tourette's disorder. Boys outnumbered girls by 4:1 through 6:1. Attention deficits and empathy/autism spectrum problems (including Asperger's disorder) were very common, each type of comorbidity affecting approximately two thirds of individuals with Tourette's disorder. Overall behavior problem scores were high, and affected children exhibited a marked degree of functional impairment. Conclusions Tourette's disorder is a common disorder with high rates of significant comorbidity. In most cases, attention deficits and empathy problems are likely to cause more suffering than the tics per se. Key Words: Tourette's disorder; prevalence; comorbidity; attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; autism; Asperger's disorder; obsessive-compulsive disorder; deficits in attention; motor control; perception

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Psykiatri (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Psychiatry (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Adolescent

Asperger Syndrome

Complications

Diagnosis

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity

Complications

Diagnosis

Catchment Area (Health)

Child

Child

Preschool

Cohort Studies

Comorbidity

Female

Follow-Up Studies

Humans

Male

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Complications

Diagnosis

Prevalence

Psychiatric Status Rating Scales

Psychometrics

Statistics & numerical data

Random Allocation

Reproducibility of Results

Schools

Severity of Illness Index

Students

Sweden

Epidemiology

Tourette Syndrome

Complications

Diagnosis

Epidemiology

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)