Tourettes Syndrome Essay, Research Paper

TICS

Tourette Syndrome(TS) is a neurological disorder

characterized by tics — involuntary, rapid,

sudden movements that occur repeatedly in the same way. To

receive a diagnosis of TS a person must have both multiple

motor and one or more vocal tics, not necessarily

simultaneously, throughout a span of more than one year. The

tics may occur many times a day (usually in bouts) nearly

every day or intermittently. Tics periodically change in the

number, frequency, type and location and wax and wane in

their severity. Symptoms can sometimes disappear for weeks or

months at a time. While most persons with TS have some

control over their symptoms from seconds to hours at a

time, suppressing them may merely postpone more severe

outbursts. Tics are experienced as irresistable and (as the

urge to sneeze) eventually must be expressed. Tics increase

as a result of tension or stress and decrease with relaxation

or concentration on an absorbing task.

Tics are categorized as Motor or Vocal, Simple or Complex.

Simple tics are movements or vocalizations which are

completely meaningless, whereas complex tics are movements or

vocalizations which make use of more than one muscle group or

appear to be meaningful.

Some examples of motor tics:

eye blinking

kissing-hand or others

head jerking

facial contortions

scratching

squatting

throwing things

pulling at clothes

Some examples of vocal tics:

throat clearing

grunting

belching spitting

snorting

noisy breathing

squealing

clicking or clacking

barking

moaning

screaming/shouting

laughing

A person with Tourette may be able to go days or months

without symptoms (tics) and can suppress the tics for

short periods of time.

After the tics have been voluntarily suppressed the tics