The Tourette Syndrome
14 Jun 2009
Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (Tourette Syndrome or TS) is a neurological disorder which becomes evident in early childhood or adolescence between the ages of 2 and 15. Tourette syndrome is defined by multiple motor and vocal tics lasting for more than one year. Many people have only motor tics or only vocal tics. The first symptoms usually are involuntary movements (tics) of the face, arms, limbs or trunk. These tics are frequent, repetitive and rapid. The most common first symptom is a facial tic (eye blink, nose twitch, grimace), and is replaced or added to by other tics of the neck, trunk, and limbs.
These involuntary (outside the patient’s control) tics may also be complicated, involving the entire body, such as kicking and stamping. Many persons report what are described as premonitory urges — the urge to perform a motor activity. Other symptoms such as touching, repetitive thoughts and movements and compulsions can occur.
There are also verbal tics. These verbal tics (vocalizations) usually occur with the movements; later they may replace one or more motor tics. These vocalizations include grunting, throat clearing, shouting and barking. The verbal tics may also be expressed as coprolalia (the involuntary use of obscene words or socially inappropriate words and phrases) or copropraxia (obscene gestures). Despite widespread publicity, coprolalia/copropraxia is uncommon with tic disorders.
Neither echolalia (echo speech) or coprolalia/copropraxia is necessary for the diagnosis of Tourette syndrome. All patients have involuntary movements and some have vocalizations. Echo phenomena are also reported, although less frequently. These may include repeating word of others (echolalia), repeating ones own words (palilalia), and repeating movements of others.
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 (ADHD/ADD, impulsiveness (and oppositional defiant disorder), obsessional compulsive behavior, and learning disabilities. There is usually a family history of tics, Tourette Syndrome, ADHD, OCD. Tourette Syndrome and other tic disorders occur in all ethnic groups. Males are affected 3 to 4 times more often than females.
Most people with TS and other tic disorders will lead productive lives. There are no barriers to achievement in their personal and professional lives. Persons with TS can be found in all professions. A goal of TSA is to educate both patients and the public of the many facets of tic disorders. Increased public understanding and tolerance of TS symptoms are of paramount importance to people with Tourette Syndrome.
The disorder was named for a French neuropsychiatrist who successfully assessed the disorder in the late 1800’s:
Georges Gilles de la Tourette
Georges Gilles de la Tourette (born Georges Albert Edouard Brutus Gilles de la Tourette!) in 1857
was a French physician (today he would be described as a neurologist) who made several valuable contributions to medicine and literature. The first reported case of Tourette syndrome was by another
French doctor named Itard in 1825. Dr. Itard described the case of Marquise de Dampierre, a woman
of nobility who was quite an important person in her time. In 1885 Dr. de la Tourette described nine patients with the syndrome of multiple motor and vocal tics. His major contribution was to define these patients as having a movement disorder that now bears his name.
Duration : 0:3:4
25 Responses
freakzunited2
2009 Jun 14 1nice… have u ever …
nice… have u ever seen “Front of the Class” ? it’s a hallmark movie and a book by Brad Cohen. it’s about that sort of thing…
freakzunited2
2009 Jun 14 2maybe it’s chronic …
maybe it’s chronic tic syndrome… u just get 1 of the 2 forms (motor and vocal) for a while but never both.
OddlyAppropriate
2009 Jun 14 3me to. i have eye …
me to. i have eye tics hand tics muscle tention.. but noot any vocal.
im worried if i have tourettes.
kathrynsue1986
2009 Jun 14 44-6 doctors says I …
4-6 doctors says I have coprolalia and now since church dont believe it I am churchless cause I am not catholic
scouselethal777
2009 Jun 14 5i got tourettes its …
i got tourettes its hard to live with when your a kid i was diagnosed with it when i was 7 (im 22 now) i memba to this day when my teacher used to put up on the board a stroke next to my name everytime i’d twitch each stroke was a minute detention after class. it got to the point where i was in detention for an hr so mum and dad came to school looking for me to find me in the corner when dad aksed what i did the teacher explained what happend i memba my dad beating the outta my teacher
freakzunited2
2009 Jun 14 6Is it weird to have …
Is it weird to have 3 motor tics (head jerking, shoulder shrugs, and muscle tensing) but no vocal tics?
IGioxI
2009 Jun 14 7I just grunt
I just grunt
XSuperMarioFanX
2009 Jun 14 8Wow i thought i was …
Wow i thought i was the only person like this
i went to the doctor but she said i that it was a thing that i could stop but its very dificult!
it just started one day watching a soccer game and i just had to say chuurra (spanish for like “wooooow”) and i kept on saying it . since then i started doing difrent things..its been a lot of difrent thing kind temporarily from blinking on purpose or coughing…wow i just want to get rid of this…
pody576
2009 Jun 14 9I am 66 YOA, and my …
I am 66 YOA, and my Tourrette has come back as bad as it ever was for the last couple of years. If you have it, you will just simply have to admit to yourself that you will have to live with it, even if it does not go away. I am a pilot, a contractor, and have many hobbies and friends. Life is good in spite of this anomaly. When you see someone that obviously has TS, and they are uneasy, just tell them that you understand what it is, and tell them to forget about what others may think. huggs
KoolChristianGirl12
2009 Jun 14 10I want to thank you …
I want to thank you so much for this video. I am going to show this to the people that know that i have it (I have a case like yours, its very mild) so they can understand more
OVCA911
2009 Jun 14 11TOURETTE RULEZ!!! …
TOURETTE RULEZ!!! but only the swearing kind…
Swanmaiden4
2009 Jun 14 12my friend has …
my friend has tourettes =( sometimes she doesn’t even go out in public becasue she has such bad ticks!
pielover1997
2009 Jun 14 13i have touettes and …
i have touettes and its hard to live with it i used to cry about everyday and took 100 kinds of medicines but none worked
JonahTorn
2009 Jun 14 14I thought Tourettes …
I thought Tourettes was treated with dopamine blockers. I thought the current theory was we have to much dopamine or
a dopamine sensitivity and that this is not not a settled issue.
Opiekun124
2009 Jun 14 15the only thing i …
the only thing i can say about this syndrome is that so far ive come to a hypothesis that more brain activity will result in tics basically like riff raff15 mentioned before he ticks more when he walks its because the brain is active doing a task we need to do every day therefore the syndrome begins without warning trying persey to counteract the action so to have less ticks maybe reduce brain activity im not saying do it its just a hypothesis ive been researching this for 2 years so far
orangina2k
2009 Jun 14 16thank you for our …
thank you for our video. Help to anderstand how is hard to live with it, but give a lesson to poeple thinking is funny, no is not!
postaldude2
2009 Jun 14 17You’re just …
You’re just confused kid, if you had a “high form of autism” that would mean you’re a complete idiot
dan7eboy
2009 Jun 14 18“Initiate” the …
“Initiate” the problem……WTF???
nutzy73
2009 Jun 14 19basshunter has …
basshunter has tourette syndrome.
JonahTorn
2009 Jun 14 20I have the same …
I have the same problem.
LaBellaa1984
2009 Jun 14 21watch my videos …
watch my videos about TS
RIFFRAFF15
2009 Jun 14 22i seem to tick more …
i seem to tick more when i go for walks…..
PitbullChick19
2009 Jun 14 23Really interesting …
Really interesting I use to babysite a boy with tourette syndrome.
xflowerxdottsx
2009 Jun 14 24thank you for this …
thank you for this video….i have this and i feel so comforted
smg33030
2009 Jun 14 25Thank you for this …
Thank you for this Video!!!!
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