Aripiprazole for the Treatment of Complex Motor Tic Disorder:Case Report

Abstract

Tic disorder is a childhood-onset neuropsychiatric disorder that is characterized by both motor or phonic tics. Two thirds of children with tic disorder experience reduction or complete resolution of tic symptoms during adolescence. Doluble-blind trial have demonstrated that the typical antipsychotics are better than placebo. Recently, atypical antipsychotics have been used successfully. A 37- year- old man, was diagnosed with chronic motor tic disorder during childhood. Over the last 27 years, his tic symptoms have improved. At the age of thirty-seven, he abruptly developed complex motor and vocal tics. The mMotor tics included shoulder shrugging, and neck and leg movement. The severity of tics was assessed at baseline using the Yale global tic severity scale(YGTSS) before initiating treatment. Global severity score of YGTSS at baseline was 58. He was initially prescribed with aripiprazole 5mg /day. After two days, his global severity score of YGTSS decreased to 20, and. this improvement was maintained for eight weeks. Aripiprazole, a newer atypical antipsychotic with a unique pharmacodynamic profile, appears to be efficacious in treatment of tic disorder.