"I don't swear" - Tourette syndrome across the lifespan

Date: Monday 15 June
Time: 3.25pm - 4.40pm

Overview

This session will equip delegates with practical, evidence-based approaches to recognising and managing Tourette syndrome across different age groups and presentations, grounded in the experiences of people living with the condition. Beginning with a powerful patient perspective that illuminates the daily realities, challenges, and strengths of living with Tourette syndrome, attendees will gain essential insights into what matters most to patients and families.

The session then integrates this lived experience with clinical expertise by leading clinicians in the area, covering emerging treatment approaches including behavioural interventions and pharmacological strategies, and exploring the evolving needs of individuals as they transition from childhood through adulthood.

Delegates will learn to address common comorbidities, challenge harmful stereotypes (such as the misconception that all people with Tourette syndrome swear), and develop actionable strategies for improving clinical outcomes and quality of life for individuals with Tourette syndrome and their families across the lifespan.

 In this session you will:

  • Learn to identify and manage common comorbidities (ADHD, OCD, anxiety, mood disorders) across developmental stages, informed by patient-reported priorities and impact on daily functioning.
  • Understand the lived experience of Tourette syndrome through direct patient testimony and learn how to integrate these perspectives into collaborative clinical care and treatment planning.
  • Gain knowledge of evidence-based behavioural interventions, particularly CBIT, and understand when and how to implement these approaches in partnership with patients and families.
  • Explore emerging pharmacological treatments and neurostimulation approaches for treatment-resistant cases, with consideration of lifespan differences and the importance of shared decision-making with patients.

 

Speakers

  • Chair: Dr Dipesh Patel, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, London
  • Tourette syndrome in adults
    • Dr Himanshu Tyagi, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London
  • Assessing Tourette syndrome across the lifespan
    • Professor Mark Paramlall, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London
  • Lived experience with Tourette syndrome
    • Miss Georgia King, Expert by Experience
  • Combining exposure and response prevention and habit reversal to treat Tourettic OCD
    • Dr Dipesh Patel, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, London
Register for Congress 2026

Please email congress@rcpsych.ac.uk or call 020 8618 4120 with any enquiries.