Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT) is a non-medicated treatment that takes the most effective concepts and blends them with strategies that aid people in learning the techniques quickly. CBIT consists of three components.
– Training the client to be more aware of their tics and their urge to tic.
– Training clients to do competing behavior when they feel the urge to tic.
– Making changes to day-to-day activities in ways that can be helpful in reducing tics.
Tics are neurological in nature. Tics are often also sensitive to the environment in which they occur. CBIT attempts to help individuals familiarize themselves and identify environmental factors that make their tics worse. CBIT also teaches skills on how to create environments that are more stable, predictable, and easily manageable.
More than half of the people who undergo CBIT will have significant reductions in tic severity and improved ability to function. CBIT is not a cure for tics but a tool that helps individuals better manage their tics and improves their quality of life.
The Tourette Association has a CBIT brochure available for download.
You can find additional information regarding CBIT at the Tourette Association website.