Digital-Supported Delivery of Behavioural Therapy for Patients with Tic Disorders: A Narrative Review

Background: Behavioural therapy (BT), including Comprehensive Behavioural Intervention for Tics (CBIT), is an evidence-based first-line treatment for patients with tic disorders. However, access remains limited due to a shortage of trained providers, geographical barriers, costs, and high treatment burden for patients and families. Rapid advances in digital health technologies including telemedicine, web-based treatment platforms, and mobile applications offer new opportunities to expand access to BT for individuals with tic disorders across the lifespan. Methods: For the purpose of this narrative review, we conducted a literature search in PubMed, Europe PMC, and the Cochrane Library to identify relevant studies investigating the effectiveness of digital health treatment approaches in tic disorders. Results: A total of 16 original studies were included. Although the available evidence remains limited and heterogeneous, existing studies suggest that emerging technologies for delivering behavioural interventions for tic disorders, including telehealth-based CBIT, digital therapy platforms, and app-supported habit reversal training (HRT), are feasible, cost-effective, user-friendly, flexible, and safe. These approaches also appear effective for symptom monitoring and personalized treatment support in both pediatric and adult populations. Conclusions: Recent technological advances have the potential to reduce the treatment gap in tic disorders, provided that these approaches are implemented within rigorous, evidence-based, and ethically grounded frameworks.