Behavior Therapy for Adults and Adolescents with Chronic Tic Disorders

[yaleresearcher]

Yale University's Child Study Center is recruiting subjects for a study of behavior therapy for tics. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether a form of behavior therapy called Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT) is helpful for reducing tics. CBIT will be compared to Psychoeducational Supportive therapy (PST) and participants of this study will be randomly assigned (like the flip of a coin) to receive CBIT or PST.

 

Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT) therapy consists of eight one-hour long treatment sessions scheduled over ten weeks. During this treatment, participants with learn to monitor their tics and will practice simple behavioral response that may make the tics less frequent or bothersome. For example, someone who has a leg movement tic, may be asked to practice placing the feet flat on floor and pushing downward. Psychoeducational supportive therapy (PST) will also consist of eight one-hour long sessions scheduled over ten weeks. This treatment involves stress management, problem-solving, and learning strategies for coping with negative emotions.

 

To be eligible for the study participants must

• be 16 years of age or older

• have Tourette Syndrome or Chronic Tic Disorder

• be medication free or on a stable dose of medication

 

All adults or adolescents and their parents who are involved in the study will be asked to fill out rating scales, questionnaires, and answer questions about symptoms and behavior relevant to this project. CBIT and PST are free. Subjects will be offered $25 each assessment visit, and compensated for parking costs on therapy visits. Participation in this study is voluntary. If you do not want to participate, it will not affect any future treatment in the Yale Child Study Center.

 

If you are interested in the project, please contact Dr. Denis Sukhodolsky at (203) 785-6446 or Joseph McGuire at (203) 785-5805. We will describe the project in more detail and help you determine whether the program is fitting for you.

 

HIC#27460