The clinical utility of the tic-related obsessive-compulsive disorder diagnostic specifier

Tic disorders have been reported to co-occur at rates of 10-40% in patients with OCD (Gomes de Alvarenga et al., 2012). Tic-related OCD has been recognized as a diagnostic specifier in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders- Fifth Edition (DSM5). It is defined as a current or past history of a tic disorder, and it has been associated with several important clinical variables, such as earlier age of onset, male gender, greater likelihood of family members also having OCD and a poorer response to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) (Gomes de Alvarenga et al., 2012). Patients with OCD and co-occurring tic disorder are more likely to have other co-occurring disorders, e.g., ADHD (Wanderer et al., 2012). There may also be genetic links between OCD, tic disorders and ADHD as the three disorders co-occur in family members (Mathews and Grados, 2011).