What actually is Tourettes?
Tourettes syndrome (TS) is a neurological disorder characterized by
repetitive, stereotyped, involuntary movements and vocalisations called
tics. The disorder was named after Dr. Georges Gilles de la Tourette, a French neurologist who in 1885 first described the condition
in an 86-year-old French woman.
The early symptoms of Tourettes are typically noticed first in childhood, usually between the ages of 3 and 9 years. Males are affected three to four times more than females. Although Tourettes usually lasts a lifetime, the tics should get better in late teens and early adults- so listen tics, calm the hell down!
Like I've said before, there are motor tics (facial and movement tics) and vocal tics. These can be simple such as a cough or complex, such as spinning around. Vocal tics can included coprolalia (uttering socially inappropriate words like swearing) or echolalia (repeating the words or phrases of others). However, coprolalia is only present in a small number (10 to 15 percent) of people with TS.
Before some tics happens, an urge or sensation in the affected muscle group happens, which is called a premonitory urge. People with Tourettes often describe a need to complete a tic in a certain way or a certain number of times in order to relieve the urge or make the sensation less painful.
Tics are often worse with excitement or anxiety and better during calm, focused activities. Certain physical experiences can trigger or worsen tics, for example hearing another person sniff or throat-clear may trigger similar sounds. Tics don't go away during sleep but are usually very small and they don't happen a lot.
Remember that the symptoms of TS are involuntary and people sometimes suppress or camouflage their tics. However, people with Tourettes often report a buildup in tension when suppressing their tics to the point where they feel that the tic must be expressed (against their will). Please remember that no-one with Tourettes makes their tics on purpose.
ADHD, anxiety, depression, OCD and autism occurs alongside of Tourettes. Tourettes doesn't usually appear on it's own without an underlying mental illness.
The early symptoms of Tourettes are typically noticed first in childhood, usually between the ages of 3 and 9 years. Males are affected three to four times more than females. Although Tourettes usually lasts a lifetime, the tics should get better in late teens and early adults- so listen tics, calm the hell down!
Like I've said before, there are motor tics (facial and movement tics) and vocal tics. These can be simple such as a cough or complex, such as spinning around. Vocal tics can included coprolalia (uttering socially inappropriate words like swearing) or echolalia (repeating the words or phrases of others). However, coprolalia is only present in a small number (10 to 15 percent) of people with TS.
Before some tics happens, an urge or sensation in the affected muscle group happens, which is called a premonitory urge. People with Tourettes often describe a need to complete a tic in a certain way or a certain number of times in order to relieve the urge or make the sensation less painful.
Tics are often worse with excitement or anxiety and better during calm, focused activities. Certain physical experiences can trigger or worsen tics, for example hearing another person sniff or throat-clear may trigger similar sounds. Tics don't go away during sleep but are usually very small and they don't happen a lot.
Remember that the symptoms of TS are involuntary and people sometimes suppress or camouflage their tics. However, people with Tourettes often report a buildup in tension when suppressing their tics to the point where they feel that the tic must be expressed (against their will). Please remember that no-one with Tourettes makes their tics on purpose.
ADHD, anxiety, depression, OCD and autism occurs alongside of Tourettes. Tourettes doesn't usually appear on it's own without an underlying mental illness.
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