Working Mechanisms of Exposure and Response Prevention in the Treatment of Tourette Syndrome and Tic Disorders Revisited: No Evidence for within-Session Habituation to Premonitory Urges.

Background: Exposure and response prevention (ERP) has been shown to be an effective treatment for Tourette syndrome (TS) and chronic tic disorders (CTD). ERP is based on voluntary tic suppression in combination with prolonged exposure to premonitory urges preceding tics. A prevailing hypothesis of the working mechanism underlying ERP in tics is habituation to the premonitory urges as a result of prolonged exposure.