Tourette's Syndrome

Tourette's Syndrome

Tourette's syndrome is "a genetic, neurological disorder characterized by motor and vocal tics and associated behavioral features including obsessions and compulsions and hyperactivity" (Strickland "Tourette Syndrome" Gale). Tourette's syndrome is named after George Gilles de la Tourette, who was a French physician. He described this condition over a century ago (Newton "Tourette Syndrome" Sick). Although Tourette's is not fatal, it is a very common disorder that affects many people in many different ways.

The first time Tourette's was ever found in a person was in 1825. A French noble woman named Marquise de Dampierre first showed symptoms when she was only seven years old (Robertson "Gilles de la Tourette's Syndrome" Database). Tourette's today is seen throughout the world in every race. About one in 2,000 people are affected by Tourette's, males more than females. Around 100,000 people in the United States today have symptoms of Tourette's (Zamula "Taming Tourette's Tics and Twitches" Database). Tourette's is a genetic disorder which usually shows up by the age of 18. Around one percent of mainstream school children are affected by the disorder (Robertson "Gilles de la Tourette's Syndrome" Database).

There is a non-profit research organization which studies the syndrome, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke ("Tourette's Syndrome"

Tourette Syndrome). There is also a Tourette Syndrome Association which is an organization for people with Tourette's Syndrome, their families, friends, physicians, nurses, teachers, psychologists, social workers, and other professionals. This association was founded in 1972 (Turkington "Tourette's Syndrome" The Encyclopedia of the Brain and Brain Disorders).

There are two different types of tics - simple and complex. A simple tic is one that involves isolated movements such as blinking, kicking, and twitching. A complex movement is not isolated. It is like kicking, hitting, biting, and grooming. The two forms of tics are motor and vocal tics. Motor tics are body movements such as tossing head, blinking, and grimacing. Vocal tics are vocal noises such as snorting, hissing, yelping, sniffing, grunting, throat-clearing, and yelling. Having the disorder makes it hard to concentrate, and most people need help in school because they have learning disabilities such as ADHD and OCD (Strickland "Tourette Syndrome" The Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology). When the person is in a place that he or she is more comfortable, he or she is more likely to have tics. Some people even copy things other people are saying (Zamula SIRS). Tourette's syndrome does not affect ones intelligence or thinking abilities but sometimes he or she have trouble concentrating. In studies patients seem to improve the older they get, but it is rare for a patient to recover completely after their teen years. In some cases patients have even become depressed over their symptoms which are where the counseling may help the patient get through hard times (Newton "Tourette Syndrome" Sick).

The way the disorder is diagnosed is by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association. People that have the disorder, have multiple motor tics and at least one vocal tic more than once a day. There is no real cure for the disorder, but medications can help