Tourette's Disorder
- Both multiple motor and one or more vocal tics have been present at some time during the illness, although not necessarily concurrently. (A tic is a sudden, rapid, recurrent, nonrhythmic, stereotyped motor movement or vocalization.)
- The tics occur many times a day (usually in bouts) nearly every day or intermittently throughout a period of more than 1 year, and during this period there was never a tic-free period of more than 3 consecutive months.
- The disturbance causes marked distress or significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
- The onset is before age 18 years.
- The disturbance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., stimulants) or a general medical condition (e.g., Huntington's disease or postviral encephalitis).
- Dysarthria or Involuntary Movement
- Depressed Mood
- Guilt or Obsession
Some disorders have similar or even the same symptom. The clinician, therefore, in his/her diagnostic attempt has to differentiate against the following disorders which he/she needs to rule out to establish a precise diagnosis.
- Abnormal movements that may accompany general medical conditions;
- Direct effects of a substance;
- Choreiform movements;
- Dystonic movements;
- Athetoid movements;
- Myoclonic movements;
- Hemiballismic movements;
- Spasms;
- Hemifacial spasm;
- Synkinesis;
- Medication-Induced Movement Disorder Not Otherwise Specified;
- Stereotypic Movement Disorder;
- Pervasive Developmental Disorders;
- Compulsions;
- Schizophrenia;
- Transient Tic Disorder;
- Chronic Motor or Vocal Tic Disorder;
- Tic Disorder Not Otherwise Specified.