Fact: Tourette syndrome (TS) is recognized as a neurological condition that affects the brain and nervous system.
About 1 out of 100 people are affected by this condition that’s frequently associated with outbursts of cursing. A person with TS may also use offensive language. But that’s just one part of having the condition–and not everyone with TS exhibits those symptoms.
What are tics?
Involuntary movements, sometimes with noises, are called “tics.” Vocal tics are when a person grunts, coughs, and shouts words. Physical tics involve head jerking and/or jumping up and down. Tics can vary from person to person. Some are simple like uttering a short sound. While others are complex, where the tics are a series of movements or words. Children start to show signs of Tourette around ages 10 or 11 and can have this condition well until adulthood.
How is Tourette treated?
There’s no cure for TS, but treatment can aid in controlling the symptoms. This can help people living with tics have more control.
Habit Reversal Therapy is one of the most common behavior therapies. It can help people monitor and understand what triggers their tics, and help them find alternatives. The other most common behavior therapy is called “exposure with response prevention.” The aim of that technique is to increase the exposure to what may cause the tic. Then, the person works to suppress the tic response longer each time s/he’s exposed to it.
Interestingly, about one third of people will continue to have symptoms for the rest of their life. In comparison, other people’s symptoms are less troublesome after medicine or therapy. And in some cases, the symptoms can just disappear for unknown reasons.
