Medication use and treatment patterns in children and adolescents with chronic tic disorders: an EMTICS study

@article{peled2026medication,
  title = {{Medication use and treatment patterns in children and adolescents with chronic tic disorders: an EMTICS study}},
  author = {Orit Peled and Daphna Shoham and Tamar Steinberg and Alan Apter and Dana Feldman-Sadeh and Miri Carmel and Idan Barak and Zsanett Tarnok and Peter Nagy and Abraham Weizman and Pieter J. Hoekstra and Andrea Dietrich and Alan Apter and Alan Apter and Juliane Ball and Noa Benaroya-Milshtein and Judith Buse and Francesco Cardona and Marta Correa Vela and Andrea Dietrich and Carolin Fremer and Blanca Garcia-Delgar and Tammy J. Hedderly and Isobel Heyman and Pieter J. Hoekstra and Chaim Huijser and Marcos Madruga Garrido and Davide Martino and Pablo Mir and Astrid Morer and Norbert Müller and Kirsten Müller-Vah and Alexander Münchau and Peter Nagy and Kerstin J. Plessen and Cesare Porcelli and Renata Rizzo and Veit Roessner and Daphna Ruhrman and Anette Schrag and Tamar Steinberg and Zsanett Tarnok and Frank Visscher and Susanne Walitza and Elif Weidinger and Noa Benaroya-Milshtein},
  journal = {European Child \& Adolescent Psychiatry},
  year = {2026},
  month = jul,
  doi = {10.1007/s00787-026-03120-5},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-026-03120-5},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Medication use and treatment patterns in children and adolescents with chronic tic disorders: an EMTICS study
AU  - Orit Peled
AU  - Daphna Shoham
AU  - Tamar Steinberg
AU  - Alan Apter
AU  - Dana Feldman-Sadeh
AU  - Miri Carmel
AU  - Idan Barak
AU  - Zsanett Tarnok
AU  - Peter Nagy
AU  - Abraham Weizman
AU  - Pieter J. Hoekstra
AU  - Andrea Dietrich
AU  - Alan Apter
AU  - Alan Apter
AU  - Juliane Ball
AU  - Noa Benaroya-Milshtein
AU  - Judith Buse
AU  - Francesco Cardona
AU  - Marta Correa Vela
AU  - Andrea Dietrich
AU  - Carolin Fremer
AU  - Blanca Garcia-Delgar
AU  - Tammy J. Hedderly
AU  - Isobel Heyman
AU  - Pieter J. Hoekstra
AU  - Chaim Huijser
AU  - Marcos Madruga Garrido
AU  - Davide Martino
AU  - Pablo Mir
AU  - Astrid Morer
AU  - Norbert Müller
AU  - Kirsten Müller-Vah
AU  - Alexander Münchau
AU  - Peter Nagy
AU  - Kerstin J. Plessen
AU  - Cesare Porcelli
AU  - Renata Rizzo
AU  - Veit Roessner
AU  - Daphna Ruhrman
AU  - Anette Schrag
AU  - Tamar Steinberg
AU  - Zsanett Tarnok
AU  - Frank Visscher
AU  - Susanne Walitza
AU  - Elif Weidinger
AU  - Noa Benaroya-Milshtein
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/07/17
JO  - European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
DO  - 10.1007/s00787-026-03120-5
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-026-03120-5
AB  - 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.  Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-026-03120-5.
SN  - 1018-8827
SN  - 1435-165X
ER  -