Tourette Syndrome

That disease is a neurological disorder which comes along with repetitive and involuntary body movements known as tics. A French neurologist in the year 1885 first mentioned and described this particular condition to the world. This neurologist was Dr. Georges Gilles de le Tourette. The symptoms of this disease are noticeable in the early stages and can be diagnosed in childhood among the ages of 7 to 10. The Tourette Syndrome is seen in all types of people from various ethnicities. This is a disease which occurs more in males than females.

A study conducted in the United States shows that 0.2 % of Americans have the most extreme forms of the diseases. One out of 100 show signs of having milder syndromes. In some cases it is shown that the syndrome can have chronic effects which can last for as long as a lifetime. In such cases, the symptoms take the gravest forms when the child is in its teenage. The grave symptoms reduce in the later stages of teenage and then continue to be in the adulthood too.

There are two types of symptoms that are seen in the patients suffering from this syndrome. Read the rest of this entry »

The announcement by the Duke University Medical Center Clinic that therapists there have had significant success treating a nine-year old boy with a severe case of Tourette’s Syndrome, using behavioral therapy aimed at habit reversal, has generated reactions among some involved with TS ranging from skepticism to sarcasm and derision.

Rick Shocket has suffered so grievously with TS symptoms that his case might be referred to as debilitating. Among a host of other TS tics, the boy felt compelled to do deep knee bends between almost every walking step. The impetus of the therapy he was treated with at Duke was to have him become aware of the warning signs that precede his tics and then resist the urge to perform them.

Here is a quote from an Associated Press article:

“It’s a controversial development. For decades, Tourette’s patients have been told that tics are involuntary and that they should do their best to ignore them. Habit-reversal training, the type of behavioral therapy Rick does, preaches the exact opposite. It instructs patients to be hyper-aware of tics so they can learn to anticipate and suppress them.”Duke has been a leader in establishing behavioral therapy as a treatment for children who have neurocognitive conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder.” Read the rest of this entry »

Tourette Syndrome is a spectrum tic disorder that involves multiple muscular tics and at least one vocal tic. A person with Tourette Syndrome can usually feel urges building that can only be relieved by certain vocal sounds or muscle contractions. Most commonly, motor tics will appear as repetitive blinking, squeezing the eyes shut, wrinkling the nose, shrugging the shoulders, grimacing or quickly tilting the head. Vocal tics include barking noises, throat clearing, and other sounds.

Tourette Syndrome (TS) is often accompanied by other disorders, such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obsessive/compulsive disorder (OCD). TS and OCD have actually been genetically linked, but both are not always present. It is believed that OCD and ADHD can develop or become worse because of the presence of Tourette Syndrome. People aware of their tics generally become obsessed with controlling them and find it very hard to sit still or pay attention.

Tests can be done to see if there are physiological reasons for the tics to manifest. Tests generally are ordered to check for seizures and hypothyroidism. TS is often misdiagnosed as autism because of the similarity of behaviors.

Parents of children diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome can be desperate to find help. This is especially true because ADHD and OCD symptoms can be very debilitative in a school setting. Children with Tourette Syndrome often have major trouble concentrating, controlling outbursts, staying on task and writing.

Tics can usually be controlled for an extended period of time, much like refusing to scratch an itch. But, eventually a giant outburst must occur and the itch must be scratched. Parents of children with Tourette Syndrome that report good behavior at school often have a terrible time at home with behavior, anxiety, control and opposition.

People with tics generally do best if they are in a supportive environment. The perception of the severity of tics seems to be far more important for development than the actual severity of tics. There are no medicinal treatments for Tourette Syndrome that do not have adverse side effects, so behavioral, psychological and cognitive therapies are more beneficial in most cases. Read the rest of this entry »