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Disentangling the Overlap between Tourette's Disorder and ADHD

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 October 1998

Thomas Spencer ,
Joseph Biederman ,
Margaret Harding ,
Deborah O'Donnell ,
Timothy Wilens ,
Stephen Faraone ,
Barbara Coffey  and
Daniel Geller
Thomas Spencer
Affiliation:
Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, U.S.A.
Joseph Biederman
Affiliation:
Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, U.S.A.
Margaret Harding
Affiliation:
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, U.S.A.
Deborah O'Donnell
Affiliation:
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, U.S.A.
Timothy Wilens
Affiliation:
Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, U.S.A.
Stephen Faraone
Affiliation:
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, and Harvard Institute of Psychiatry, Epidemiology and Genetics, Brockton-West Roxbury Veterans' Affairs Medical Center, U.S.A.
Barbara Coffey
Affiliation:
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, and McLean Hospital, Belmont, U.S.A.
Daniel Geller
Affiliation:
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, and McLean Hospital, Belmont, U.S.A.
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Abstract

Objective: To identify similarities and differences in neuropsychiatric correlates in children with Tourette's syndrome (TS) and those with ADHD. Method: The sample consisted of children with Tourette's syndrome with ADHD(N=79), children with Tourette's syndrome without ADHD (N=18), children with ADHD (N=563), psychiatrically referred children (N=212), and healthy controls (N=140). Results: Disorders specifically associated with Tourette's syndrome were obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and simple phobias. Rates of other disorders, including other disruptive behavioral, mood, and anxiety disorders, neuropsychologic correlates, and social and school functioning were indistinguishable in children with Tourette's and ADHD. However, children with Tourette's syndrome plus ADHD had more additional comorbid disorders overall and lower psychosocial function than children with ADHD. Conclusions: These findings confirm previously noted associations between Tourette's syndrome and OCDbut suggest that disruptive behavioral, mood, and anxiety disorders as well as cognitive dysfunctions may be accounted for by comorbidity with ADHD. However, Tourette's syndrome plus ADHD appears to be a more severe condition than ADHD alone.

Keywords

Tourette's syndromeattention deficit disorderadolescenceschool childrencomorbidity
Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines , Volume 39 , Issue 7 , October 1998 , pp. 1037 - 1044
Copyright
© 1998 Association for Child Psychology and Psychiatry

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