Description, Implementation, and Efficacy of the Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics as First-Line Treatment for Tourette and Other Tic Disorders

Objective: To provide an evidence-based review of the Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tic (CBIT) disorders. Results: For close to a century, behavioral interventions for managing tics associated with Tourette and other tic disorders (TDs) were incorrectly considered ineffective and dangerous by the professional community, due, in large part, to unfounded fears that efforts to suppress tics would lead to a host of negative psychological, and even physical, outcomes (e.g., symptom substitution, tic rebound). Spurred by a growing body of research to the contrary, the Comprehensive Behavioral Treatment for Tics (CBIT) was developed to provide a tolerable and effective nonpharmacological treatment option, alone or in combination with medication, for youth and adults with tics associated with Tourette or other TDs. CBIT combines two evidence-based practices, habit reversal training (HRT) to address the urge-tic relationship and a functional intervention to identify and neutralize tic-related environmental factors. Based on positive findings from two large-scale randomized controlled trials that involved a total of 248 8-69-year olds with Tourette or chronic TD, CBIT has been designated as a first-line treatment, when available, for treating tics by the American Academy of Neurology and the European and Canadian medical academies. Conclusions: CBIT has demonstrated acute and durable efficacy when delivered alone or in combination with medication, in person, or via telehealth, and in the presence or absence of common comorbid conditions. Additional research is needed to develop and test treatment guidelines for the use of CBIT in combination with pharmacologic, neuromodulatory, and other intervention modalities.