Living with Tourette's syndrome.

Illnesses in children are difficult enough, but for children and adolescents with Tourette's syndrome, the emergence of unwelcome motor and vocal tics in social situations can lead to not only embarrassment, but also increased self-consciousness, social isolation, thoughts of persecution, and physical pain. This article offers an overview of Tourette's syndrome and focuses on DSM-IV-TR criteria, severity, prevalence and course, etiology and epidemiology, indications for medications, psychosocial therapies, and nursing implications.