Tourette Syndrome Case Study

Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neuropsychiatric disorder, notable by the uncontrollable tics it creates. These tics can cause great stress to the individual while they are also a direct result of stress and anxiety. Starting out singular and simple, tics gradually develop into ever more complex movements. There are essentially two types of tics, motor and vocal. Uncontrollable facial twitching, eye blinking, and shoulder twitching are examples of motor tics. Vocal tics could include grunting, coughing, snorting, tongue clicking, and in a small percentage coprolalia, which is uttering obscenities (Whitbourne, S.K., & Halgin, 2013, p. 131-132). Complex behaviors may develop into full body movements or occur when motor and vocal behaviors combine.
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) share a genetic relationship to TS. This can be seen in the significant number of diagnoses of these disorders in TS patients. Furthermore, mood and anxiety disorders can be found in TS patients due to their genetic relationship to OCD and ADHD (Farley, 2015). The exact cause of TS is still not yet understood and there is no cure, but treatments usually combine cognitive-behavioral therapy with pharmacological therapy. This paper will focus on the relationship of TS to OCD and ADHD and how this can affect in multiple areas. Development of anxiety disorders, mood disorders, treatments, and conflicting treatments for clients will be discussed in detail as
According to multiple sources, each of these disorders has the possibility to cause anxiety disorders as mentioned, mood disorders, suicidal thoughts or behavior, substance abuse, sleep disorders, and disconnections with family. All of these disorders are associated with TS in one way or another, and their likeliness will increase in those with multiple diagnoses. Suicidal thoughts or behavior along with mood disorders, particularly depression, are the most serious (mayoclinic.org). The combined stress and anxiety that rises from coping with these disorders can drive an individual to experience those symptoms. Like how TS, ADHD, and OCD share a co-morbid relationship, these complications have their own level of co-morbidity as well. Anxiety disorders can be a precursor to depression or substance abuse, and sleep disorders such as insomnia are found among people with depression. The potentiality of these complications developing makes proper treatments imperative for these individuals. When the root cause of the disorder from person to person isn't properly understood, therapy can be extremely difficult and can sometimes aggravate other symptoms. Cognitive behavioral therapy can become complex for the therapist and frustrating for the client. Pharmaceutical therapy is an area in which the psychiatrist must be careful when treating cases with these multiple disorders. For example, the drug