Background: Few studies have examined depressive symptomatology in children and adolescents with Tourette Syndrome (TS) using standardised measures and none have compared different self-report scales in the context of TS.
Methods: Seventy-two consecutive young people attending a TS clinic were evaluated using standardised rating scales for TS and associated behaviours, severity and psychopathology. All the patients completed the Birleson Depression Self Report Scale (BDSRS) and the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI).
Results: A strong correlation was noted between BDSRS and CDI. Depression scores were also noted to correlate with Obsessive Compulsive Behaviours (OCB) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Other correlates of depressive symptomatology included current severity of TS as indicated by Yale Global Tic Severity Rating Scale (YGTSS) and the lifetime cumulative severity as evidenced by scores on the Diagnostic Confidence Index (DCI).
Limitations: The study was undertaken in a tertiary referral specialized clinic for TS thus limiting the generalizability of the findings, and the study did not include any control subjects.
Conclusions: The results provide support for the need and usefulness of both BDSRS and CDI as screening tools for depressive symptoms in children and adolescents with TS. Furthermore, the findings suggest the possibility of a complex inter-relationship between TS severity, comorbid OCB and ADHD as well as the occurrence of depression.