Abstract
In addition to motor and/or vocal tics, many individuals with Tourette syndrome (TS) or chronic tic disorder (CTD) report frequent, uncomfortable sensory phenomena that immediately precede the tics. To date, examination of these premonitory sensations or urges has been limited by inconsistent assessment tools. In this paper, we examine the psychometric properties of a nine-item self-report measure, the Premonitory Urge to Tic Scale (PUTS) and examine the characteristics and correlates of the premonitory urge to tic in a clinical sample of 122 older adolescents and adults with TS or CTD. The PUTS demonstrated adequate internal consistency, temporal stability, and concurrent validity. Premonitory urges were endorsed by the majority of individuals. Most individuals reported some relief from the urges after completing a tic and being able to stop their tics even if only temporarily. Degree of premonitory urges was not significantly correlated with age, and we did not observe any gender differences. Degree of premonitory urges was significantly correlated with estimated IQ and tic severity, but not severity of comorbid obsessive-compulsive disorder or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Also, it was not related to concomitant medication status. These findings represent another step forward in our understanding of the premonitory sensations associated with TS and CTD.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 177-186 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Behavior Therapy |
| Volume | 45 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 2014 |
Funding
Dr Scahill has received royalties from Oxford University Press, Guilford and American Psychiatric Press; has served as a consultant for Biomarin, Bracket and Pfizer; and has had research support from Shire Pharmaceutical, Roche, and Pfizer. He also reports receiving support in the form of free medication and matching placebo from Shire Pharmaceuticals for a clinical trial funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. Dr Piacentini reports receiving royalties from Oxford University Press for treatment manuals on child obsessive-compulsive disorder, research support from the Tourette Syndrome Association and Pfizer, speaking fees from the International OCD Foundation, and consultant fees from Bayer Schering Pharma. Dr Wilhelm reports receiving support in the form of free medication and matching placebo from Forest Laboratories for clinical trials funded by the National Institutes of Health and receiving book royalties from Guilford Publications, New Harbinger Publications, and Oxford University Press. This research was supported by grants 5R01MH069877 ( Dr. Wilhelm ), R01MH069874 ( Dr. Scahill ), and RO1MH069875 ( Dr. Petersen ) from the National Institute of Mental Health with subcontracts to Dr. Piacentini and Dr. Woods. Dr. Walkup consulted on this grant. The funding agency played no role in the study design, the collection, analysis, or interpretation of data, or in the preparation or review of this manuscript. We would like to acknowledge James Dizura and Haibei Liu for assistance with the study data. Additionally, we would like to thank the CBITS team and all of the patients who participated in this trial.
Keywords
- Adults
- Chronic tic disorder
- Older adolescents
- Premonitory urge
- Tourette syndrome
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Clinical Psychology