Abstract
Available treatment for chronic tic disorders (CTD) focuses on the reduction of tics but often does not directly address the psychosocial impairment associated with tics. There is empirical support for a new psychosocial intervention to reduce tics and their related impairment, but this treatment has not yet been applied to adults with CTD. With this in mind, the authors report on the case of “Jim,” a 22-year-old male with significantly impairing tic symptoms. Following 10 sessions of weekly cognitive-behaviorally oriented therapy combining habit reversal training, distress tolerance, cognitive restructuring, and problem solving, Jim exhibited marked improvement in tic severity as illustrated by a decrease in his score on the total tic score of the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale from 16 at baseline to 8 at posttreatment. Therapeutic gains were maintained at 4-month follow-up. This case study provides preliminary support for the use of a psychosocial intervention for addressing coping with CTD in young adults.
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