How to support someone with Tourettes

If you are a friend of the Tourettes sufferer, you can:

• Not stare when your friend does tic- this makes them feel self-concious about it and it may possibly embarass them, especially if it's really loud.
• While having a conversation, try to pretend that your friends tics aren't there- if you point it out, a friend could get stressed which would make the tics worse
• Be patient if the tic affects your friend speech
• Only ask about tics if you know your friend doesn't mind talking about them
• Never ask, "Can't you stop?" because the answer is a simple no. They can't. 
• Don't try to fix them, just make your friend feel like they are accepted and love them as they are
• Don't point out new tics unless your friend is perfectly comfortable with you doing it
• Look for signs of distress and for when your friend is getting uncomfortable in the situtation or is in the middle of a tic attack (loads of tic spilling out of their mouth) and offer help
• Hugs can make everything feel better so if your friend needs or wants a hug, hug away!
• Don't joke about it, jokes can hurt. Even if you don't mean to hurt them, you may accidentally do. 
• Don't tell your friend that they are being rude or making a show because again, this will cause them to feel self-concious and make them suppress their tics which would cause them to feel unaccepted and awful
• Defend your friend against anyone who says anything about them. This will make your friend feel more welcome to do their tics in public.
• And please remember that your friend struggles everyday so please don't make this struggle any worse as this will just cause them to hide their tics away and they will build up into a tic attack which no-one with Tourettes likes.