Have you ever tried to hold a sneeze but you just had to sneeze or it felt like you were going to explode if you hold it in? Well, people who have Tourette syndrome have something similar to that, which is called tics. Tics are the main cause of a developmental neuropsychiatric condition called Tourette syndrome. Tics can not be controlled, hold in and people with Tourette syndrome say that they feel the urge to just do it, completely out of their control.

Tourette syndrome is a common, childhood-onset psychiatric disorder characterized by tics. It is a heterogeneous disorder in which the phenotypic expression may be affected by environmental factors, such as immune responses.1 Tourette syndrome is estimated to affect 0.5-0.7% of the population2. It is mostly seen in children aged from 5 to 12 and it is mostly seen in boys. The syndrome reaches its peak right before puberty at ages 10-123.
Tics are generally divided into two categories such as; motor (physical) and vocal (phonic) tics.
Some examples of motor tics are:
- Blinking
- Eye rolling
- Grimacing
- Shoulder shrugging
- Jerking of the head or limbs
- Jumping
- Twirling
- Touching objects and other people4
Some examples of vocal tics are:
- Grunting
- Throat clearing
- Whistling
- Coughing
- Tongue clicking
- Animal sounds
- Saying random words and phrases
- Repeating a sound, word or phrase
- Swearing4
It is still unknown the cause of the tics. It is important to note that even though environmental factors can not cause tics, they can increase their severity of it.
People with Tourette’s also experience comorbid mental illnesses. Among children diagnosed with TS, 5 in 6 (83%) also have been diagnosed with at least one additional mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder. Among these children:
- 61% had anxiety problems
- 52% had ADHD
- 34% had behavioral problems, such as oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) or conduct disorder (CD)
- 34% had learning disabilities
- 26% had developmental delays
- 21% had autism spectrum disorder
- 20% had depression
- 15% had speech or language problems
- 8% had intellectual disabilities5
What Should Be Done for People with Tourette’s Syndrome?
There is no cure for this syndrome. Although, treatments are available. Medications to help control tics or reduce symptoms of related conditions include:
- Medications that block or lessen dopamine
- Botulinum (Botox) injections
- ADHD medications
- Central adrenergic inhibitors
- Antiseizure medications
Therapy is also as much as effective. Some therapy options are:
- Behavior therapy
- Deep brain stimulation (DBS)
People with Tourette syndrome cannot help but tic. Along with physical and mental complications, they also have to face social norms. People staring at them, telling them to stop or simply judging them is just some examples of the bullying they have to face. Telling them to stop doing it is useless and may cause more anxiety which leads to the person having more intense tics. What they need is understanding. They shouldn’t feel ashamed of something that they cannot control. They don’t deserve to be yelled at for simply existing in their own way. Even if they don’t have tics anymore, the bullying and the trauma will stay with them. If we, as a society, would be more accepting towards people with any kind of disability, it will help them out massively.
References:
- (Smith et al., 2021) Smith, J., Petrovic, P., Rose, M., De Souz, C., Muller, L., Nowak, B., & Martinez, J. (2021). Placeholder Text: A Study. The Journal of Citation Styles,
- Fernandez TV, State MW, Pittenger C. Tourette disorder and other tic disorders. Handb Clin Neurol. 2018;147:343-354. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-444-63233-3.00023-3. PMID: 29325623.
- Practice guideline recommendations summary: Treatment of tics in people with Tourette syndrome and chronic tic disorders | Neurology
- https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/tourettes-syndrome/#:~:text=Symptoms%20of%20Tourette’s%20syndrome,of%20physical%20and%20vocal%20tics.
- https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/tourette/data.html
- Tourette syndrome – Diagnosis and treatment – Mayo Clinic
Picture Reference: What is Tourette Syndrome, Tourette Disorder? Signs, Symptoms, Causes, Treatment | HealthyPlace
Inspector: Süleyman ŞAHİN