Tourette's Syndrome

Hello! As part of the Internship Honors Projects, I would love to and be honored to write an infromational post regarding Tourette's Syndrome I chose this topic because I deal with this - and I know lots of others do too, so it'd be a very good choice! I hope you enjoy it!

★ So, what is Tourette's Syndome, anyway? Isn't it a cursing disorder?

Contrary to popular belief, most people with Tourette's Syndrome do not curse! If they do happen to have this part of Tourette's, this is called Coprolalia (what a mouthful of words to pronounce!) Another example of a tic disorder includes Trichotillomania - which is a very fancy term for when someone has a habit of continually pulling their hair out - strand by strand.

Aside from the stereotypical Tourette's (Coprolalia), according to the dictionary, the definition of "Tourette's Syndrome" is "a neurological disorder characterized by involuntary tics and vocalizations and often the compulsive utterance of obscenities."

★ Wow, Emily! That's a bunch of fancy terms that I don't know.. What does that definiton mean in everyday human language?

Basically, the "Reader's Digest" version of that is a condition that some people may deal with. As they do, they often make movements or say things they don't mean to!

★ Thanks so much for clearing that up, I was really confused! So, what are tics? Can you give me some examples?

I sure can, and no problem! It's my job to inform :) Do note that tics change often and are definitely not limited to these lists!

Tics can come in all shapes and sizes. Some of the most common motor tics include:

✸ Arm or head jerking

✸ Blinking

✸ Making a face

✸ Mouth twitching

✸ Shoulder shrugging

On the other hand, some vocal tics can include:

✸ Barking

✸ Yelping

✸ Coughing

✸ Grunting

✸ Repeating what someone else says (Echolalia)

✸ Shouting

✸ Sniffing

✸ Swearing

★ Wow, that's a lot of symptoms someone could experience! How old are they usually when this happens and who is at most risk?

Symptoms typically start appearing around 3rd or 4th grade age, and can carry on throughout life. In order to be diagnosed, both vocal and motor tics must be present for 2 years. It typically worsens around the teen years due to all of the hormones being kicked in! A lot of the time, most people get better slowly after their teen years and it slowly fades, however some have Tourette's as a life long condition. As far as who is at most risk, Tourette's runs through families. If a parent has or had Tourette's, their child will have a 50% chance of inheriting it as well, unfortunately. Boys are affected 3x as much than girls. As far as personal experience, my sister and I both inherited it (I don't have any brothers), as well as my mom did when she was a teenager from her dad (my grandfather) so it really can stick in family trees!

★ That's interesting! How can they receive help?

As of now, there is no "cure," however medicine, therapy, and coping mechanisms can help. There aren't many medicines specifically designed for Tourette's, but people with the disorder are often prescribed an anti-depressant or a medicine designed to treat another disorder, such as Schizophrenia, Bipolar, forms of Autism, and so on. This is because the medicines treat in similar areas of the brain (note: I'm not completely sure as to why, but this seems to be a good theory! I'll have to ask someone for a more precise answer so don't take my word on that one). Medicine is seldomly prescribed due to the side effects, and most people are so used to their tics so they'd rather not replace it with side effects of medicines that will make them feel sick.

★ I hope that was quite informative! Below are some follow-up questions you can answer if you'd like so we can have a forum discssion on this topic!

✸ 1. If you have Tourette's or know someone that does, how do they cope?

✸ 2. How could Tourette's affect their day-to-day life?

✸ 3. What tics do you or someone you know deal with?

✸ 4. How can Tourette's stigma do away?

✸ 5. How can you better support those who deal with this?

★ Thanks a bunch for reading! If you'd like more information, here's some resources I find quite helpful! :)

✸ TSA-USA

✸ Wikipedia

✸ National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

✸ TourettesSyndrome.org

✸ Web MD

✸ Mayo Clinic

Feel free to add more resources below if you know of any!

Have an awesome day and don't forget to be awesome!!