Anger Control Training for Youth With Tourette Syndrome

ADHD Clinical Trial

Official title:

Anger Control Training for Youth With Tourette Syndrome

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT00486551
• Other study ID #: 0102012121
• Secondary ID: 1R03MH067845
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: August 2001
• Est. completion date: January 2006

Study information

• Verified date: January 2022
• Source: Yale University
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

This is a clinical study of a cognitive-behavioral therapy known as anger control training in adolescents with Tourette Syndrome and explosive, disruptive behavior. ACT is compared to treatment as usual (TAU) in a randomized clinical trial.

Description:

This is a randomized controlled study of a cognitive-behavioral, anger control training (ACT) in adolescents with Tourette Syndrome (TS) complicated by disruptive behavior. Disruptive behaviors in TS may take numerous forms including noncompliance, anger outbursts, and physical aggression. Anger outbursts in TS have been described as rage attacks or rage storms due to their high intensity and unpredictability in response to minimal provocation. Whether these behaviors are part of TS, related to comorbid conditions, or due to the burden of chronic illness is not clear. Nevertheless, these disruptive behaviors can result in significant functional impairment and often require clinical attention. The purpose of the ACT intervention is to improve the explosive and noncompliant behavior in adolescents with TS by enhancing affect regulation and social problem-solving skills. The treatment is based on anger control training which has been empirically supported for reducing aggressive behaviors and improving social functioning in aggressive youths. The primary outcome measures include the parent-rated Oppositional Defiant Scale and the Clinicians Global Improvement Score assessed by a clinician blind to treatment assignment.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 26
• Est. completion date: January 2006
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: 11 Years to 16 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Boys and girls, 11 to 16 years of age.

2. Diagnosis of Tourette syndrome (TS) or chronic tic disorder (CTD).

3. Significant level of disruptive behavior

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Current diagnosis of Severe Major Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, or Psychotic Disorder.

2. Significant medical condition such as heart disease, hypertension, liver or renal failure, pulmonary disease, seizure disorder that may require more pressing treatment.

3. Initiation or discontinuation of a psychotropic medication treatment within six weeks of enrollment in the study

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• ADHD
• Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders
• Chronic Tic Disorder
• Disease
• Oppositional Defiant Disorder
• Syndrome
• Tic Disorders
• Tourette Syndrome

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Anger control training

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Yale University School of Medicine, Child Study Center	New Haven	Connecticut

Sponsors (3)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Yale University	National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Tourette Association of America

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

References & Publications (4)

Scahill L, Erenberg G, Berlin CM Jr, Budman C, Coffey BJ, Jankovic J, Kiessling L, King RA, Kurlan R, Lang A, Mink J, Murphy T, Zinner S, Walkup J; Tourette Syndrome Association Medical Advisory Board: Practice Committee. Contemporary assessment and pharmacotherapy of Tourette syndrome. NeuroRx. 2006 Apr;3(2):192-206. Review. — View Citation

Sukhodolsky DG, do Rosario-Campos MC, Scahill L, Katsovich L, Pauls DL, Peterson BS, King RA, Lombroso PJ, Findley DB, Leckman JF. Adaptive, emotional, and family functioning of children with obsessive-compulsive disorder and comorbid attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 2005 Jun;162(6):1125-32. — View Citation

Sukhodolsky DG, Scahill L, Zhang H, Peterson BS, King RA, Lombroso PJ, Katsovich L, Findley D, Leckman JF. Disruptive behavior in children with Tourette's syndrome: association with ADHD comorbidity, tic severity, and functional impairment. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2003 Jan;42(1):98-105. — View Citation

Sukhodolsky DG, Vitulano LA, Carroll DH, McGuire J, Leckman JF, Scahill L. Randomized trial of anger control training for adolescents with Tourette's syndrome and disruptive behavior. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2009 Apr;48(4):413-421. doi: 10.109 — View Citation

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	CGI-I assigned by clinician unaware of treatment assignment		three months
Primary	Parent rated disruptive behavior		three months

External Links

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