Understanding Tic Disorders: A Round Table on Diagnosis, Treatment, and Research

In this In Conversation podcast, Dr. Seonaid Anderson is joined by Dr. Charlotte Hall, Dr. Tammy Hedderly, Joe Kilgariff, and Lisa Rudge for a round table discussion on Tics and Tic Disorders, such as Tourette Syndrome. This episode is part of The Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health’s series on Tourette Syndrome and Tic Disorders. The series explores the evidence-based research on Tourette Syndrome, and other Tic Disorders, as well as the education, treatments, and research in this area.

• The prevalence of Tics and Tic Disorders and to what extent are Tics and Tic Disorders still a misunderstood condition.
• Diagnosis as a gateway to getting support and the difficulty of receiving a diagnosis.
• The importance of increasing a general understanding of what Tics are.
• The impact of labelling and the language used and the surrounding discourse.
• The two main strands of treatment – the medication strand and the Behavioural Therapy strand – and the challenges of accessing treatment.
• Importance of collaboration between patient community, the associations and health professionals and how to get more patients involved in research.
• Overview of some current research projects, including the INTEND project and the ORBIT-UK study.
• The need for NICE guidelines on Tic Disorders to improve diagnosis, treatment, and management, and the impact of the lack of NICE guidelines on equity of services.