May 15 to June 15 is designated as Tourette Syndrome Awareness Month, a rare neurological disorder that causes involuntary movements or vocalizations known as tics.

Examples of these tics include repetitive blinking, clearing of the throat, shrugging of shoulders, or unintentional blurting of sounds or words. It is estimated that between 100,000 to 300,000 people have Tourette syndrome in America.

But be honest – the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Tourette Syndrome is some involuntarily cursing, which the media likes to portray as the common feature of Tourette.

A couple of things-

1. That “involuntary cursing” actually has name: Coprolalia

2. Coprolalia isn’t the main symptom of Tourette’s and you don’t even need to have coprolalia to be diagnosed with Tourette’s. In fact – only 10% of those diagnosed with TS have coprolalia!

So the issue is not just a punchline of involuntary cursing – but rather that a 2-dimensioanl portrayal of this rare, misunderstood disease has become the defining characteristic in our society.

Imagine if you had Tourette’s and upon telling someone, they make the assumption that everyone seems to make? It would be detrimentally limiting.

So during this awareness month – let’s try to destigmatize and spread some real facts about this rare disease.

And check out the Tourette Association of America for resos, and hopes with the Patient Worthy community!