Gilles de la Tourette syndrome: a 20-month study of the effects of stressful life events and haloperidol on symptom frequency.

Abstract

The frequency of tics in a 10-year-old boy suffering from Gilles de la Tourette syndrome was investigated in the laboratory and at home using counts of tics made by the parents. The study spanned 20 months during which time the patient was treated with haloperidol. Parents' counts were reliable and valid. Stressful life events overcame positive medication effects, and symptom level varied markedly with the activities in which the child engaged. Such situational variability may explain the previously reported waxing and waning of symptoms. Findings also suggested that specific counseling be given when haloperidol is prescribed in order to prepare parents and patients for any apparent worsening of the disorder that may actually be due to the presence of stressful life events.

• Authors: W W Surwillo, M Shafii, C L Barrett
• Journal: The Journal of nervous and mental disease (J Nerv Ment Dis) Vol. 166 Issue 11 Pg. 812-6 (Nov 1978) ISSN: 0022-3018 [Print] United States
• PMID: 281456 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Haloperidol

Topics

• Activities of Daily Living
• Child
• Haloperidol (therapeutic use)
• Humans
• Life Change Events
• Male
• Stress, Psychological (psychology)
• Tourette Syndrome (drug therapy, psychology)