*2013 note: substantial change in the evidence-base for treating tics with behaviour therapy has occurred since the time this response was written. For more current research in the area of CBIT (the Comprehensive Behavioural Intervention for Tics) - now well-established as a first-line treatment for tics and strongly recommended in the treatment guidelines for various countries - click here.
Hello
C.D. (a.k.a. 'aspiring'! Don't worry -- someday it will be true! Take
it from a recently retired 'aspirer' for 9 years).
You are
right that there is not a lot of research in behavioural treatments
of tics -- but not because they aren't effective (the few studies done
actually demonstrate effectiveness perhaps far superior to medications,
and without the side effects). The increased interest in the medical
community regarding TS simply needs to be carried over into the psychology
realm more (by initiative-filled individuals like yourself, for example!).
Below
are listed a number of references in the area of Habit-Reversal Training
and other behavioural techniques for reduction of specific tics. In
general, "Suppression" of tics isn't a good route to go --
it is costly on a daily basis in terms of effort, concentration, mental
resources, and in terms of other less benign symptoms that may exacerbate
when all energy is steered towards eliminating twitches. Various other
behavioural strategies
(things such as symptom substitution, symptom modification, symptom elimination, relaxation
training, etc.) give better results.
These
are all articles from professional journals. Any university library,
if it doesn't have these journals itself, can order the articles from
an affiliated library.
Azrin,
NH & Peterson, AL. (1990). Treatment of Tourette Syndrome by habit
reversal: A waiting-list control group comparison. Behavior Therapy,
21(3), 305-318.
Baxter,
LR & et al. (1992). Caudate glucose metabolic rate changes with
both drug and behaviour therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder. Archives
of General Psychiatry, 49, 681-689.
Carr,
JE. (1995). Competing responses for the treatment of Tourette syndrome
and tic disorders. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 33(4), 455-456.
Evers,
RA & van de Wetering, BJ. (1994). A treatment model for motor tics
based on a specific tension-reduction technique. Journal of Behavioral
Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 25(3), 255-260.
Matesevac,
H. (1991). Toward a psychological understanding of Tourette syndrome
(TS). Psychotherapy, 28(4), 643-645.
O'Connor,
K, Loiselle, J, Gareau, D, Brault, M & Robillard, S. (1997). Cognitive-behavioral
programme for the self-management of involuntary motor habits: Tics,
repetitive movements and chronic muscle tension. Science et Comportement,
25(3), 257-277.
Parker,
K. (1985). Helping school-age children cope with Tourette syndrome.
Journal of School Health, 55(1), 30-32.
Peterson,
AL & Azrin, NH. (1993). Behavioral and pharmacological treatments
for Tourette syndrome: A review. Applied and Preventive Psychology,
2(4), 231-242.
Peterson,
AL & Azrin, NH. (1992). An evaluation of behavioral treatments for
Tourette Syndrome. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 30(2), 167-174.
Wagaman,
JR, Miltenberger, RG & Williams, DE. (1995). Treatment of a vocal
tic by differential reinforcement. Journal of Behavioural Therapy and
Experimental Psychiatry, 26(1), 35-39.
Woods,
DW, Miltenberger, RG & Lumley, VA. (1996). Sequential application
of major habit-reversal components to treat motor tics in children.
Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis, 29(4), 483-493.
Hope this
helps!
cheers,
Dr. Dunc.
