Maladie des tics is a syndrome of severe multiple body tics accompanied by coprolalia, echolalia, coughing, spitting, and swearing. The psychotherapy of an eight-year-old boy with this syndrome was characterized by the introduction of rough-and-tumble games. There was a marked alleviation of symptoms. After this, psychotherapy proceeded with more use of verbal means. This boy demonstrated an arrest in development between the pregenital and Oedipal phases. He also presented evidence of an anal compulsive character with a severe conflict over aggression. The author suggests that the hypothesis of an organic etiology for this illness is unnecessary.