Cognitive-Behavioral Management of Tic Disorders

Tics affect more than 10% of the population, and can be an unpleasant and disruptive problem. They include chronic tic disorder, Tourette?s syndrome and habit disorders such as hair pulling, nail biting and scratching. Treatment is either by medication (without convincing evidence) or psychological means. Before the introduction of habit reversal psychologists had no real alternatives to offer, and even this method lacks evidence for its efficacy and is not widely used. Illustrated throughout with case study examples and containing detailed guidelines for patient and therapist on the use of CBT, this book provides a comprehensive review of what is known about the occurrence and diagnosis of tics. Kieron O'Connor explores the various theories currently available to explain the causes and progression of these disorders, and discusses the assessment and treatment options available. Finally he takes the most widely accepted psychological therapy ? cognitive behaviour therapy - and applies it for the first time to the treatment of tics.

Kieron O'Connor began his research career working as a research officer at the Medical Research Council (UK) Clinical Psychiatry Unit at Graylingwell Hospital, Chichester, Sussex. In 1979, he was awarded a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) by thesis in experimental psychology from the University of London. He completed the British Psychology Society clinical diploma training course in 1986, and transferred to the University College, Institute of Laryngology and Otology, working partly as a research lecturer, investigating psychological aspects of vertigo and dizziness, and also as a clinical psychologist at Bloomsbury Health Authority.
In 1988, he was awarded the first of a series of fellowships by the Fonds de la recherche en Santè du Quèbec, and established a clinical research program at the Fernand-Seguin Research Center, Louis-H. Lafontaine Hospital, University of Montreal, Canada. The multidisciplinary research program, which focuses on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Tourette and tic disorder and delusional disorder, is currently funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. He is actively involved in several community-based initiatives to provide support and information to people with OCD and Tourette's syndrome and their families, and is scientific advisor to the Quebec OCD Foundation.
He is currently associate research professor at the Psychiatry Department of University of Montreal, and also holds an honorary cross appointment as associate professor in the department of Psychology, University of Quebec at Montreal. He is author or co-author on over 1000 scientific publications. He is also co-authored with Frederick Aardema and Marie-Claude Pèlissier of Beyond Reasonable Doubt: Reasoning Processes in ODC Disorder and Related Disorders, published in 2005 by Wiley.