AbstractWe report on 8 patients with adult‐onset motor tics and vocalisations. Three had compulsive tendencies in childhood and 3 had a family history of tics or obsessive–compulsive behaviour. In comparison with DSM‐classified, younger‐onset Gilles de la Tourette syndrome, adult‐onset tic disorders are more often associated with severe symptoms, greater social morbidity, a potential trigger event, increased sensitivity, and poorer response to neuroleptic medication. © 2002 Movement Disorder Society