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Commentary: Are alpha‐2 agonist really effective in children with tics with comorbid ADHD? A commentary on Whittington et al. (2016)
Author(s) -
Bloch Michael H.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of child psychology and psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.652
H-Index - 211
eISSN - 1469-7610
pISSN - 0021-9630
DOI - 10.1111/jcpp.12592
Subject(s) - tics , psychology , tourette syndrome , clonidine , guanfacine , agonist , tic disorder , antipsychotic , attention deficit hyperactivity disorder , meta analysis , intervention (counseling) , psychiatry , psychotherapist , clinical psychology , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , medicine , receptor
In this issue, Whittington et al. (2016) present a systematic review that reports the efficacy of three primary treatments for children with Tourette syndrome (TS) – (a) α 2‐adrenergic receptor agonists; (b) antipsychotic medications; and (c) habit reversal training/comprehensive behavioral intervention. In this commentary, we highlight the large degree of heterogeneity observed in the meta‐analysis of trials involving alpha‐2 agonist medications and present possible explanations for the observed heterogeneity. Among these possible explanations is the possibility that presence of comorbid ADHD may moderate the efficacy of alpha‐2 agonists in the treatment of tic disorder with the medications being more effective in patients with both conditions. The commentary reviews the evidence supporting this possible moderating effect of ADHD and discusses the implications for such a relationship.