{
  "abstract": "The treatment of tic disorders in children and adolescents poses significant challenges, especially when comorbid conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are present. Pharmacological treatments are often guided by clinical judgment, prescriber preferences, and medication availability. This study describes pharmacological treatment use in a large cohort of children and adolescents with chronic tic disorders (CTDs). We analyzed baseline data from the European Multicenter Tics in Children Study (EMTICS) to examine associations between medication use, tic severity, and psychiatric comorbidities, using parent-reported questionnaires and clinical interviews to assess tics, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and children’s self-rated premonitory urges. Among 709 children aged 3–16 years with CTDs, 230 (32%) received any pharmacological treatment, 22% received antipsychotics and 10% received ADHD medications, with limited use of alpha-2 agonists (3%). Medication use was more common among individuals with comorbid ADHD (54%) than those with CTD only (23%) or comorbid OCD only (26%). Those on tic-suppressing medications had significantly greater severity of tics, tic-related impairment, and comorbid ADHD, ODD, and obsessive symptom severity compared to those with non-tic-suppressing medications. There was no relationship with the severity of compulsions or premonitory urges. While largely consistent with published guidelines, these findings indicate limited utilization of recommended agents, such as alpha-2 agonists, alongside higher reported symptom severity among those receiving tic-suppressing medications. Further studies should explore the integration of pharmacological, behavioral, and psychoeducational approaches tailored to comorbidity profiles and symptom severity.\n\nSupplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-026-03120-5.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Pharmacy, Schneider Children’s Medical Center of Israel, Petah Tikvah, Petah Tikvah, Israel",
    "Adelson School of Medicine, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel",
    "Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Schneider Children’s Medical Center of Israel, Petah Tikvah, 4920235 Israel",
    "Gray Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel",
    "Institute of Child Neurology, Schneider Children’s Medical Center of Israel, Petach Tikva, Israel",
    "Research Unit, Geha Mental Health Center, and Laboratory of Molecular and Biological Psychiatry, Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Petah Tikvah, Israel",
    "Vadaskert Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Hospital, Budapest, Hungary",
    "Bethesda Children’s Hospital, Budapest, Hungary",
    "Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands",
    "Accare Child Study Center, Groningen, The Netherlands"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 46,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Orit Peled"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Daphna Shoham"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Tamar Steinberg"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Alan Apter"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Dana Feldman-Sadeh"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Miri Carmel"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Idan Barak"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Zsanett Tarnok"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6,
        7
      ],
      "name": "Peter Nagy"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Abraham Weizman"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8,
        9
      ],
      "name": "Pieter J. Hoekstra"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8,
        9
      ],
      "name": "Andrea Dietrich"
    },
    {
      "name": "Alan Apter"
    },
    {
      "name": "Alan Apter"
    },
    {
      "name": "Juliane Ball"
    },
    {
      "name": "Noa Benaroya-Milshtein"
    },
    {
      "name": "Judith Buse"
    },
    {
      "name": "Francesco Cardona"
    },
    {
      "name": "Marta Correa Vela"
    },
    {
      "name": "Andrea Dietrich"
    },
    {
      "name": "Carolin Fremer"
    },
    {
      "name": "Blanca Garcia-Delgar"
    },
    {
      "name": "Tammy J. Hedderly"
    },
    {
      "name": "Isobel Heyman"
    },
    {
      "name": "Pieter J. Hoekstra"
    },
    {
      "name": "Chaim Huijser"
    },
    {
      "name": "Marcos Madruga Garrido"
    },
    {
      "name": "Davide Martino"
    },
    {
      "name": "Pablo Mir"
    },
    {
      "name": "Astrid Morer"
    },
    {
      "name": "Norbert Müller"
    },
    {
      "name": "Kirsten Müller-Vah"
    },
    {
      "name": "Alexander Münchau"
    },
    {
      "name": "Peter Nagy"
    },
    {
      "name": "Kerstin J. Plessen"
    },
    {
      "name": "Cesare Porcelli"
    },
    {
      "name": "Renata Rizzo"
    },
    {
      "name": "Veit Roessner"
    },
    {
      "name": "Daphna Ruhrman"
    },
    {
      "name": "Anette Schrag"
    },
    {
      "name": "Tamar Steinberg"
    },
    {
      "name": "Zsanett Tarnok"
    },
    {
      "name": "Frank Visscher"
    },
    {
      "name": "Susanne Walitza"
    },
    {
      "name": "Elif Weidinger"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Noa Benaroya-Milshtein"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/e3mchj95ggdd3.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1007/s00787-026-03120-5",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13710581/",
  "id": "e3mchj95ggdd3",
  "issns": [
    "1018-8827",
    "1435-165X"
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  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-026-03120-5",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Research"
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      "3203|Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders"
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  "openalex": "W7169494307",
  "pdf_url": "https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00787-026-03120-5.pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13710581",
  "pmid": "42467078",
  "published": "2026-07-17",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/e3mchj95ggdd3.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-31T12:21:31Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13710581",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-026-03120-5"
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:3203|Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders",
      "subfield": "psychiatry"
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  ],
  "title": "Medication use and treatment patterns in children and adolescents with chronic tic disorders: an EMTICS study",
  "title_text": "Medication use and treatment patterns in children and adolescents with chronic tic disorders: an EMTICS study",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-31T12:21:31Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/e3mchj95ggdd3",
  "venue": "European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry",
  "versions": []
}