1. Antipsychotic Medication Keeps the Tics Down
Taking medication to suppress the tics caused by Tourette's Syndrome is the most straightforward way to treat the disease. A class of antipsychotic drugs known as neuroleptics have proven to be the most effective in people suffering from severe tics. These drugs work by blocking the dopamine receptors in the brain. Pimozide and haloperidol are the two best-known medications in this category. Psychiatrists have also begun working with next generation neuroleptic medications that are more selective in their dopamine blockage, such as clozapine, risperidone and quetiapine.
Antipsychotic medication can have serious side effects, though. Weight gain is common, as is depression and a general lack of motor control, such as Parkinsonism or dyskinesia. While the next generation neuroleptics have a lower risk of producing dyskinesia or parkinsonism, they may also produce the same side-effects of depression and weight gain, along with insomnia. Medication for Tourette's Syndrome may also conflict with medications people take for other conditions found alongside Tourette's, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder.
2. Therapy Is a Mainstay in Eliminating Tics
Most of the time, the tics people suffer as a result of having Tourette's Syndrome can be taken care of with some psychotherapy sessions. Behavioral therapy is a common way to counter tics, with Habit Reversal Training being the most common method. In habit reversal training, people with Tourette's are taught to become more aware of their symptoms, develop a good counter-response to perform when the tics begin, and reinforce the counter-response until it takes over the tic. Psychotherapists prefer treating Tourette's patients with Habit Reversal Training due to its effectiveness and lack of side effects.
Many times, psychologists will also treat Tourette's patients with psychoanalysis or Cognitive Behavior Therapy. This therapy isn't used to counter the Tourette's Syndrome, but rather the other mental disorders that Tourette's Syndrome tends to foster in people. Depression is a common coexisting mental disorder. So is obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Outside of psychotherapy, a nurturing and supporting home environment can be the best way to help people overcome their tics. This is especially true of children with Tourette's, since a comforting and supporting environment leads to lower stress levels, which are known to decrease the severity and frequency of tics.
3. Use Experimental Neurosurgery as a Last Resort
In extremely severe cases, after both psychotherapy and medication have failed to control the Tourette's Syndrome, people may be offered neurosurgery as an option. The procedure is known as deep brain stimulation, and involves implanting electrodes into the areas of the brain that are malfunctioning and connecting them to a pacemaker that stimulates those areas. So far the neurosurgery has proven successful in treating the tics, but the tics reemerge worse than before when the pacemaker's battery runs out. Deep brain stimulation is still very experimental and if it is offered it will only be as a last resort.
