Child psychiatry: Tourette disorder: practice question

A Psychiatry question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Psychiatry · Child psychiatry: Tourette disorder

Sample item

A 10-year-old boy has multiple motor tics and a vocal tic that began before 18 and have persisted for over a year. Which treatment is first-line for tics that cause significant impairment after behavioural therapy?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

C. Comprehensive behavioural intervention for tics, with alpha-2 agonists or antipsychotics such as aripiprazole

Tourette disorder needs multiple motor tics and at least one vocal tic for over a year, onset before age 18. Habit reversal therapy or exposure with response prevention is preferred, and clonidine, aripiprazole, risperidone or haloperidol are used for severe tics.

Option by option

  • A. Lithium

    Lithium has no role.

  • B. Benzodiazepines alone

    Benzodiazepines are not recommended as the main treatment.

  • C. Comprehensive behavioural intervention for tics, with alpha-2 agonists or antipsychotics such as aripiprazole (correct)

    Correct. Behavioural therapy with alpha-2 agonists or antipsychotics is used.

  • D. Methylphenidate only

    Stimulants are not the primary treatment of tics.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this Psychiatry question

What is the answer to this Psychiatry question?

The best answer is C, Comprehensive behavioural intervention for tics, with alpha-2 agonists or antipsychotics such as aripiprazole. Tourette disorder needs multiple motor tics and at least one vocal tic for over a year, onset before age 18.

Why is "Lithium" not the answer?

Lithium has no role.

Why is "Benzodiazepines alone" not the answer?

Benzodiazepines are not recommended as the main treatment.

Why is "Methylphenidate only" not the answer?

Stimulants are not the primary treatment of tics.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Child psychiatry: Tourette disorder in Psychiatry. Habit reversal therapy or exposure with response prevention is preferred, and clonidine, aripiprazole, risperidone or haloperidol are used for severe tics.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Child psychiatry: Tourette disorder?

Learn each diagnosis by its core features and its first-line treatment. Then use the flashcards and the other Psychiatry questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.