Tics can upset children and disorders such as Tourette’s, ADHD, or OCD can interfere with their lives.
Medication can be a helpful part of treatment for such disorders, but clinicians who are prescribing should take into consideration that many children with one condition often have another, the Child Mind Institute notes.
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Clinicians will want to prioritize treating what is causing the child the most difficulty, the Child Mind Institute writes in a new set of resources – which is often not the tics, but the disorder.
The institute’s resources examine the two main types of medication that are effective in reducing tics as well as the pros and cons of each and the steps leading to an effective treatment plan.
The first recommended step in treatment is a specialized therapy known as comprehensive behavioral intervention for tics (CBIT), rather than medication, which may be prescribed if therapy alone doesn’t alleviate tics.
If a child also has ADHD, it is important to ensure that their ADHD medication isn’t making the tics worse. Occasionally, when a second disorder causes a child a lot of stress, treating that can alleviate tics as well.
Below are the Child Mind Institute’s resources on how to treat tics and disorders such as Tourette’s in children.
It can be challenging for caregivers during the process of seeking a diagnosis for a child, but even more so if they learn the child is struggling with two – or more – mental health or learning disorders.
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The Child Mind Institute has put together a series of resources on what experts call co-occurring disorders. Having multiple disorders is not unusual: One study found that 40 percent of adolescents diagnosed with a mental health disorder met the criteria for another.
Some of the most common combinations include autism and ADHD, anxiety and depression, ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and learning disorders together with anxiety or depression. Additionally, children with Tourette’s often have OCD or ADHD.
The institute’s resources include a piece on co-occurring disorders that examines why they happen frequently and how they affect treatment. In some cases, two disorders are diagnosed together, but one is often identified later when treatment for the first doesn’t resolve some symptoms.
Sometimes, a second disorder is developed as a result of a child’s struggles with the first – especially depression, anxiety, or substance abuse. In any of these cases, the conditions must be treated carefully for the child to thrive, as treatment for one could complicate the other, particularly if multiple medications are being used.
Below is the list of the Child Mind Institute’s resources on co-occurring disorders.
The Child Mind Institute will host a free webinar on May 23 that focuses on how children struggling with mental health challenges and Tourette’s can self advocate.
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It is estimated that .06% of children struggle with Tourette’s – and 83% of them live with at least one mental health disorder. As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Child Mind Institute is hosting a roundtable with the Tourette Association of America and Fort Health that includes experts and teenagers who are living with Tourette’s.
Topics that will be discussed include:
- The importance of self advocacy for children who struggle with mental health challenges or Tourette’s
- Strategies to help children advocate for themselves
- Ways parents and schools can support self advocacy
- Insights from teens thriving with Tourette’s or other challenges
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The webinar will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 23. Registration is now open.
