Magazine Article: Signs of social phobia:
-chest pain/discomfort
-feeling uneasy/faint
-fear of dying
-fear of fainting
-sweating
-fear of choking
-accelerated heart rate
-shortness of breath
-feel like you’re detached from yourself
-fear of going crazy
-nausea
-hot/cold flushes
-numbness
-shaking
Research:
Tourrette’s Syndrome
American description:
Is the sudden, rapid, unusual kind of behavior which may be vocal or physical called ‘tics’. It normally attacks someone before the age of 18 and there is no research to know its cause; it is neither the side effect of a drug nor a general disease. The period can last for about a year, and the tics occur as frequently as a few times a day.
European Description:
A tic is defined as a sudden and involuntary movement, which is of no use but may be suppressed. Common tics include blinking of the eye, sniffing, shrugging your shoulders whereas more complex ones can be more physical, such as skipping around, or even causing harm to one self. It is an uncommon, chronic disorder which occurs more in males compared to females and has been proved hereditary. De la Tourrette’s Syndrome is when there’s a lot of overlap of vocal and physical tics which can be observed during childhood or adolescence, and can lead on into a patient’s adult life too. Tics may be suppressed and can be put off by going to sleep!
Recent research: + Magazine Article
Sleeping Patterns in children with Tourette syndrome: a polysomnographic study
To evaluate data on sleep quantity/quality and tics during night sleep in children with Tourette syndrome
Polysomnography of teenage and young kids who suffered from Tourettes were taken [ they did not have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ]. The control for this experiment was a group of 16year old sex and IQ matched teenagers. Their sleeping patterns were noticed to have added short movements, which lasted about 15 seconds and their tic activity and sleeping span were studied.
It was seen that kids who suffered from TS showed major changes in their sleeping span and slept for longer than the control group. it was also seen that they were awake most of the time, rather than fully asleep. The number of stages that they went through had no difference. Movement was seen to be similar, but TS patients showed a little bit more movement.
It was seen that there is no direct link between sleep span and movements in your sleep. Children with TS have disturbed sleep which is because of their tics during the day. There is a need for further research on this issue
Treatment: A placebo-controlled trial of risperidone in Tourette syndrome
A study was carried out to evaluate the efficacy and safety of risperidone in children and adults with TS
The study lasted for 8 weeks and patients were selected randomly for a placebo controlled trial. Total tic score was being measured.
34 participants (26 children and 8 adults) from 6 to 62 years were available. Total Tic scores were similar at baseline (26.0 +/- 5.1 for risperidone vs 27.4 +/- 8.5 for placebo). After 8 weeks of treatment (mean daily dose of 2.5 +/- 0.85), the 16 subjects on risperidone showed a 32% reduction in tic severity from baseline, compared to a 7% reduction for placebo patients. The 12 children randomized to risperidone showed a 36% reduction in tic symptoms compared to an 11% decrease in the 14 children on placebo. Two children on risperidone showed acute social phobia, which resolved with dose reduction in one subject but resulted in medication discontinuation in the other. A mean increase in body weight of 2.8 kg was observed in the risperidone group compared to no change in placebo. No extrapyramidal symptoms and no clinically significant alterations in cardiac conduction times or laboratory measures were observed.
Therefore it was seen that Risperidone appears to be safe and effective for short-term treatment of tics in children or adults with Tourette syndrome. Longer-term studies are needed to evaluate the durability of efficacy and safety over time.
