Tourettes Syndrome

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Tourettes Syndrome
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What is Tourettes?

• Neurological disorder
• Characterized by
• Repetitive involuntary movements called tics
• Obscene language is manifested in only 15 of
  patients

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Symptoms

• Noticed first in early childhood
• Tics classified either simple or complex
• Simple eye blinking, facial grimacing, shoulder
  shrugging, or head jerking
• Complex facial grimacing combined with head
  twist and shoulder shrug
• Most common are eye blinking, head jerking,
  throat clearing, sniffing and tongue clicking

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Tics

• Often worse with excitement or anxiety
• Better during calm, focused activities
• Experiences can trigger tics
• Collars on shirts may trigger neck tics
• Hearing another person cough may trigger similar
  sounds
• Tics do not go away when sleeping but they are
  diminished

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Occurrences

• Tics come and go over time
• First symptoms usually occur in the head and neck
  area

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Can people control their tics?

• Symptoms are involuntary, can suppress,
  camouflage or manage their tics
• Patients report build up tension when suppressing
  tics
• Tic must then be expressed

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Causes

• Cause of tourettes is unknown
• Research points to abnormalities in brain regions
• Inherited disorder
• Many genes with smaller effects and environmental
  factors may play a role in TS

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Disorders associated with TS

• ADHD - attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
• Problems with reading, writing, math
• Obsessive - compulsive symptoms
• Depressions, anxiety problems

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Diagnosis

• Diagnosed after symptoms persist for 1 year
• Common tics are often misdiagnosed
• No blood or lab tests needed for diagnosis
• Use MRI, CT, EEG scans to diagnose

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Treatment

• Medications are available for patients who cannot
  function correctly
• Medications vary from person to person
• Psychotherapy Help patient cope with TS

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Prognosis

• No cure for TS
• Symptoms get better for patients in late teens or
  early adulthood
• Only 10 of patients have disabling tics that
  last into adulthood

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Do children have special needs?

• Same IQ range as other children without TS
• Help by teachers should include
• Using tape recorders
• Computers to assist reading and writing

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What kind of future do TS patients have?

• Lead productive lives
• Have normal life span
• May reach high levels of achievement

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Sources

• www.tsa-usa.org
• www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/tourette/detail_touret
  te.html
• http//members.tripod.com/tourette13/
• http//www.mentalhealth.com/book/p40-gtor.html