Adult-onset tic disorders

We report on 8 patients with adult-onset motor tics and vocalisations. Three had compulsive tendencies in childhood and 3 had a family history of tics or obsessive-compulsive behaviour. In comparison with DSM-classified, younger-onset Gilles de la Tourette syndrome, adult-onset tic disorders are more often associated with severe symptoms, greater social morbidity, a potential trigger event, increased sensitivity, and poorer response to neuroleptic medication. © 2002 Movement Disorder Society.