What is Tourette Syndrome?

Tourette Syndrome is a brain disorder characterized by involuntary movements and sounds called "tics." Common symptoms include excessive eye blinking, grunting, throat clearing, body twitches, and even involuntary outbursts of inappropriate language, but there are many more symptoms that can exist. Although there is no cure (yet), TS can be treated if properly diagnosed. Many individuals with TS have one or more of the following disorders: ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder), or LD (Learning Disability).

General Information:

• Gender Frequency. TS is six times more common in males than in females.

• Age of Onset. The average age of onset of Tourette Syndrome is 6.5 years. The average age of onset of coprolalia (the uttering of obscene words) is 13.5 years; however, only 10 to 15 percent of individuals with TS develop coprolalia.

• Symptom Control. Tics can be suppressed or controlled for seconds to hours, depending on the severity of the case and the psychological and environmental factors. Excessive control can produce an explosive buildup which must be released. Anxiety, anger, excitement, fatigue, physical illness and stress significantly increase symptoms, thereby reducing the ability to suppress tics.

• Diagnosis. Today, the correct diagnosis of TS is often delayed for more than 5 years [1996 data]. 60 percent of the diagnoses are made by students with TS, parents, relatives, or friends who discover information about the disorder in the media.
  
  TS is often misdiagnosed or not diagnosed by professionals because there is a lack of knowledge regarding TS. Some professionals mistakenly consider:

• TS symptoms as a psychological problem
• Eye tics as a visual problem
• Sniffing, snorting, noisy breathing, nose wiping, nose twitching, throat clearing, and coughing as symptoms of allergies and upper respiratory disorders
• Coprolalia as a necessary symptom of TS
• Suppression or control of symptoms during office visits to negate presence of TS

• Prognosis. TS is considered a chronic, lifelong disorder. The course and duration of the disorder varies in individuals as much as the symptoms.

• 30 to 40 percent of patients have symptoms that disappear by late adolescence
• 30 percent have symptoms that decrease by late adolescence
• 50 percent have symptoms that persist in adulthood.

Source: Dornbush and Pruitt