Tic Disorders: Tourette Syndrome

It has to appear in someone before the age of 18, and the tics have to occur frequently. There are no specific tests that can be used to diagnose Tourette Syndrome. Doctors will look at a person’s symptoms and look at other tic disorders. “TS can be diagnosed if a person has both motor and vocal tics, and has had tic symptoms for at least a year ("Facts About Tourette Syndrome", 1).” Some common tics that can occur are things such as blinking, jerking your arm, humming, or yelling out words ("Facts About Tourette Syndrome",

When I discovered that my English class had to do a Research Paper, I became horrified. I thought students only did this when they were finishing graduate school not when they were starting their first year in college. All I knew about research papers was that there is an overwhelming amount of research to do. In my efforts to complete this obstacle and not bore myself to sleep with researching, I wanted to do an interesting topic, but I had no idea where to begin. I spent hours going through a great number of subjects and people, but once I found topic remotely interesting, I could not find much information on the Library of Congress website. Therefore, I decided to choose one word that would hopefully lead me to an interesting topic. I

Tourette syndrome is a neurological disorder first described by a French physician named Georges Gilles de la Tourette, in 1885. Tourette syndrome (TS) consists of varies abrupt, rapid, involuntary, and repeated movements or vocal sounds, known as tics. “Until 1970, TS was frequently misdiagnosed as schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, epilepsy, or nervous habits,” concluding that this mental disorder is extremely rare and has similar characteristics as other mental disorders (Kahn and Fawcett 375). Since there is no specific test that can diagnose TS, doctors have to rely on a person’s behaviors and personal history to identify the disorder. About one person in two thousand people is likely to have TS; additionally males are four

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) was once thought to be extremely rare, but recent epidemiological studies have shown it to be the fourth most common psychiatric disorder (after substance abuse, specific phobias, and major depression). OCD is often a chronic disorder that produces significant morbidity when not properly diagnosed and treated. The mainstay of treatment includes cognitive behavioral therapy and medication management. The use of clomipramine in the 1960s and then the introduction of serotonin reuptake inhibitors in the 1980s represented important advances in the pharmacologic treatment of OCD. Despite effective treatment modalities, many patients demonstrate only a partial response or are resistant to available medications. SRI-resistant OCD is one of the few diagnoses in modern psychiatry for which invasive neurosurgical procedures remain part of the established treatment armamentarium. We review current treatment strategies used in the management of OCD symptoms.

As previously mentioned, there is no absolute cause for why TTM comes about in patients. Often it seems to start around the ages of twelve and thirteen, however it is not uncommon for it to start earlier or later. It is usually associated with stressful events such as: abuse, family conflict, death of a parent or moving (MHA). TTM is considered a mental disorder and for many people, it can be related to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) but it does not have to be. Other behaviors that may be associated are nail biting, thumb sucking, compulsive scratching, compulsively picking at

They appear unaware of others ' feelings toward them and of the negative impact of their behavior on other people. Many children with autism engage in repetitive movements such as rocking and hair twirling, or in self-injuring behavior such as biting or head banging. They also tend to start speaking later than other children and may refer to themselves by name instead of "I," or "me." Some speak in a singsong voice about a narrow range of favorite topics, with little regard for the interests of the person to whom they are speaking. People with autism often have abnormal responses to sounds, touch, or other sensory stimulation. Many show reduced sensitivity to pain. They also may be extraordinarily sensitive to other sensations. These unusual sensitivities may contribute to behavioral symptoms such as resistance to being cuddled. Autism is classified as one of the pervasive developmental disorders.

Sontag, however, would say that this is still unacceptable and that it can be seen as romanticizing the syndrome. It could be making the syndrome seem a lot more positive than it really is and make it seem as though it is desirable because of the “extra help” in the brain. Although I agree with Sontag that metaphors should not be used to describe illnesses of multiple or unknown causes, I think that this metaphor could be seen as helpful, because it helps explain Tourette’s in simple terms so that children that have Tourette’s can understand

To briefly help understand and know what both obsessions and compulsions are, examples of real situations and factors are beneficial. Obsessing and being obsessed are commonly used everyday words. However, obsession is even more serious. Obsession considers repeated thoughts, urges, or mental images that cause anxiety. The most common symptoms of obsession include fear of germs or contamination; unwanted thoughts sexually related, religious, and harmful; aggressive thoughts towards others or self; loss of control; and having possessions in a perfect order. Furthermore, compulsions are repetitive behaviors a person with OCD feels the urge to respond to in response to an obsessive thought. The common examples of compulsions include excessive cleaning and washing their hands; ordering and arranging objects in a particular way; repeatedly checking on their surroundings; or counting. Not all habits are relatively compulsions. However, a person with OCD generally cannot control his or her thoughts or behaviors, even when those thoughts or behaviors are recognized as being excessive. People with OCD tend to spend at least an hour a day on thoughts or behaviors; they do not show pleasure when performing the behaviors or habits, but they feel relief from the anxiety the thoughts have caused; and they experience important problems in their daily lives due to the thoughts or behaviors. There are individuals with OCD that also have a tic

Tic. Tic. Tic. The movement is regular and unchanging. It’s constant and never ending. Tic. Tic. Tic. I try to ignore it, but it’s just there. All the time. Incessantly pulling at me. Tic. Tic. Jerk. Twitch. It’s not a ticking clock disturbing my concentration, but my right shoulder. It jerks up and back, up and back, twitching and spasming, again and again. I struggle to get my body under my control so I can focus. My body is still for a second as I use all my concentration to make it obey. But then my control slips and the tic, tic, tic begins again.

Knowing the condition, give Brad a new reason to life. He explored and experienced with different coping options to deal with Tourette’s. Since there is no cure to control the tics, Brad would bite on a pen or chew gum to help him focus less stresses and more on a task. Brad would take varies medicines to decrease the episodes of tics he would receive, but the side effects such as weight gain and drowsiness affected him. Not to mention, every time Brad wanted to go to the movies he would go during times where it wasn’t crowded which was in the earlier morning or late in the night. Even throughout junior and high school year, Brad was always part of sports, which help him as well to release all of the energy he had.

Barking, convulsive tics, grimacing, swearing-- Imagine having frequent involuntary urges of mimicry and repetition of abrupt behaviors. These traits are often associated with Tourette Syndrome, a neurological disorder that researchers believe is caused by and abnormal metabolism of the neurotransmitters, dopamine and serotonin. It is genetically transmitted from parent to child. There is a fifty percent chance of passing the gene on from parent to child. It’s one of the more common genetic diseases detected in one to ten children out of 1,000. The exact cause of Tourette’s syndrome is still unknown, some research suggests that it occurs when the neurotransmitters fail to balance within the brain. Readers question, how someone can go from tossing pots and pans, to being very precise as a highly recommended surgeon. Tourette’s Syndrome does not totally affect a persons life productivity, nor does it it result in an altered life expectancy. Populations not affected by this disorder, fail to understand how someone could suddenly exhibit such normality. Developing a further

Among many physicians and scientists was Georges Albert Édouard Brutus Gilles de la Tourette, who was training under Dr. Martin Charcot (McNaught, 2010). When Dr. Charcot asked Gilles de la Tourette to change his study to ataxia, a disorder described as lack of muscle control to paroxysmal a movement disorders, which is characterized by sudden outbursts of emotion and/or action, Gilles de la Tourette accepted (McNaught, 2010). Before, Gilles de la Tourette and Dr. Charcot discovered that the involuntary movement and sudden outbursts where neurological, many people believed that people with Tourette Syndrome where possessed by the devil, under witched craft, or that it was caused by wrong deeds (McNaught, 2010). Gilles de la Tourette published “Maladie des tics” (disease tics) in 1885. In his publishing he wrote about nine patients that where suffering with vocalizations and involuntary movement (Jeffries, 2007). So, Gilles de la Tourette is known and considered the founding father of a neurological disorder that carries his name, Tourette Syndrome (Jeffries,

Tourette’s syndrome can cause children to have trouble socially and often be reclusive. I have done outpatient therapy with children with Tourette’s syndrome and have found that both social skills and coping skills are important for them to develop to manage this disorder. Although Tourette’s syndrome is a neurological disorder, I have found that it causes many children psychological distress, and many children have tics far less to none at all on medication. I think it is important in school to give kids appropriate consequences at the first hint of them making fun or teasing a child with Tourette’s syndrome to help with the stress that comes from being bullied. It is imperative to teach peers of a child suffering from Tourette’s syndrome

Tourette syndrome (TS) is a disorder of the brain that is observed in people who have involuntary movements or vocalizations called tics. Named after Dr. Georges Gilles de la Tourette who first discovered this disorder, this French neurologist described a noblewoman who exhibited these symptoms in 1885. These tics could range from repetitive movements to inappropriate vocalizations.

Tourette Syndrome (TS), first described by Gilles de la Tourette, can be the most debilitating of the tic disorders and is characterized by multiform, frequently changing motor and vocal or phonic tics. There are multiple diagnostic criteria, as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV.