Tourette's Syndrome

A neurological characterised by involuntary motor and phonic tics. This severe form of tic disorder affects males at approximately thrice the rate of females and is usually chronic.

Tourette Syndrome is a condition that effects the brain's motor functions. Sufferers will be forced to "Twitch", "Speak Outloud" and can also effect thoughts. People that suffer from Tourette's feel the urge to act-out in some way; most commonly through Twitches and language. The stereotype of Tourette syndrome is that the sufferer will curse for no set reason. This is NOT always the case. Tourette syndrome has a very wide list of problems that can be manifested in many ways. The general public though is not aware of this fact. This makes living with the condition much harder, because people assume that with Tourette Syndrome, comes swearing. So finding acceptance's is hard to find. The best way to describe the feeling of having Tourette's is by comparing it to an itch. Your brain tries sending a message to your body; I.E. the feeling to Twitch your eyes. This feeling does not go away. With an itch you can ignore the feeling and thoughts that come with it, but with Tourette Syndrome, there is no way to turn the message off. So a feeling of pressure and stress builds up until the person just gives in and acts on that thought. Right after that movement is performed, your brain sends yet another signal to Twitch. So the sufferer is left with an ongoing urge to Twitch And/Or Speak Out, that does not go away on it's own. Tourette Syndrome ranges in it's level of "Punishment." Punishment is a term used by sufferers to describe the level of stress they feel. The feeling of Punishment comes from the fact that it is the sufferers own brain that is causing the Punishment. A good way to look at Tourette Syndrome, is that the sufferer has their own thoughts and feelings, but the Tourette's has it's own section of that persons mind. Much in a way that someone with multiple personalties has 2 or more, completely different personalties. The Tourette Syndrome part of the persons mind is like a having a completely different personalty, living along side of their own. These 2 different personalties do not live in harmony, hence the term "Punishment." The level of Punishment can range from a slight level where the sufferer has almost complete control over the Tourette Syndrome. To a level where the person has no control what-so-ever. This level is dibilatating, because the suffer has no control over their own body and basically lives in a state of Living Hell. In recent years more time has been spend studying Tourette Syndrome and from this has come more promising cures. But on average though, the doctor will threat each Symptom, because no medication can treat everything that Tourette Syndrome will put a person through. In the past Electroshock was used in treating Tourette's, with little longterm success. There is a new type of Electroshock treatment in the form of "Deep Brain Stimulation" which has shown far more promise. Where-in an electrode the size of a human hair in slowly driven deep into the brain. After the location is found, slight electrical impulses are pumped into that part of the brain, disrupting the Tourette's signals to the body. The sufferer will have to wear a pacemaker for the rest of their life. If the impulses are stopped, the person will feel the Punishment feelings come back. To date there is no known Complete cure for Tourette Syndrome. But the sufferer can find some peace in working out, meditation, medication, along with other things that can take the persons mind off of their Tourette Syndrome. Some find peace in the thought that while living with Tourette Syndrome, they get to understand the world and it's people from a different prospective. Because they known how a so-called normal person feels and how a person that sufferers from a mental illness feels. Which makes them a far better doctor, therapist, psychologist, and human being, because they understand both sides of reality. In reality though, there is no such thing as a "Normal" person. Every person is different.

Tourette syndrome (also called Tourette's syndrome, Tourette's disorder, Gilles de la Tourette syndrome, GTS or, more commonly, simply Tourette's or TS) is an inherited neuropsychiatric disorder with onset in childhood, characterized by the presence of multiple physical (motor) tics and at least one vocal (phonic) tic; these tics characteristically wax and wane. Tourette's is defined as part of a spectrum of tic disorders, which includes transient and chronic tics.

Tourette's was once considered a rare and bizarre syndrome, most often associated with the exclamation of obscene words or socially inappropriate and derogatory remarks (coprolalia). However, this symptom is present in only a small minority of people with Tourette's. Tourette's is no longer considered a rare condition, but it may not always be correctly identified because most cases are classified as mild. Between 1 and 10 children per 1,000 have Tourette's; as many as 10 per 1,000 people may have tic disorders, with the more common tics of eye blinking, coughing, throat clearing, sniffing, and facial movements. People with Tourette's have normal life expectancy and intelligence. The severity of the tics decreases for most children as they pass through adolescence, and extreme Tourette's in adulthood is a rarity.

Tics are sudden, repetitive, stereotyped, nonrhythmic movements (motor tics) and utterances (phonic tics) that involve discrete muscle groups. Motor tics are movement-based tics, while phonic tics are involuntary sounds produced by moving air through the nose, mouth, or throat.

Tourette's is diagnosed when multiple motor tics, and at least one phonic tic, are present for more than a year.

Tourette Syndrome is an inherited, neurological disorder characterized by repeated and involuntary body movements (tics) and uncontrollable vocal sounds.

In a minority of cases, the vocalizations can include socially inappropriate words and phrases -- called coprolalia. These outbursts are neither intentional nor purposeful. Involuntary symptoms can include eye blinking, repeated throat clearing or sniffing, arm thrusting, kicking movements, shoulder shrugging or jumping.

These and other symptoms typically appear before the age of 18 and the condition occurs in all ethnic groups with males affected 3 to 4 times more often than females. Although the symptoms of TS vary from person to person and range from very mild to severe, the majority of cases fall into the mild category. Associated conditions can include attentional problems, impulsiveness and learning disabilities.

A neurological disease that causes uncontrollable tics, grunts, and repititions of certain activities. Sufferers of Tourette's Syndrome are thought (mistakenly, in most cases) to swear uncontrollably. While it is true that some sufferers of tourette's have coprolalia (the sudden, uncontrollable outburst of inappropriate language) this is only a minority of cases (estimates range from 10% to 20%).

Still, the tics, facial twitches, grunts and other noises/actions are a troublesome thing and many tourettes are mocked and shamed.

A severe neurological disorder characterized by multiple facial and other body tics, usually beginning in childhood or adolescence and often accompanied by grunts and compulsive utterances, as of interjections and obscenities.

A disorder of the brain that causes its victims to twitch uncontrollably and to scream incoherently and often with obscene words.