RC/7 Tourettes

Hey Guys and Girls its Joag back with another Sunday edition of my Related Conditions blogs, We are only now a few weeks away from finishing this series.

What is Tourettes

Tourettes is a neurological disorder characterized by involuntary tics and vocalizations and often the compulsive utterance of obscenities.

Tics

Tics can be:

• vocal (sounds) – such as grunting, coughing or shouting out words
• physical (movements) – such as jerking of the head or jumping up and down

They can also be:

• simple – making a small movement or uttering a single sound
• complex – making a series of physical movements or speaking a long phrase

What causes Tourette’s syndrome?

The cause of Tourette’s syndrome is unknown. However, it’s thought to be linked to problems with a part of the brain known as the basal ganglia, which helps regulate body movements.

The two most commonly reported conditions are:

• obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) – a condition characterized by unwanted persistent obsessive thoughts and useless compulsive behavior, for example, a compulsion to keep washing your hands due to a fear of catching a serious illness
• attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) – a behavioral condition with symptoms such as a short attention span, being easily distracted, a tendency to be impulsive and not being able to sit still because you are constantly fidgeting (hyperactivity)

Children with Tourette’s syndrome may also have other behavioral problems, such as flying into a sudden rage, or behaving inappropriately or anti-socially with other children.

In many cases, these associated conditions and behavioural problems can be more disruptive and troublesome than the tics of Tourette’s syndrome, and are the main focus of treatment. But as with every neurological disorder trying to diagnose what exactly causes them proves to be more difficult than people expected. 79% of people with Tourette’s  syndrome have at least one other related condition.  1 in 68 people have autism, but every 1 in 100 have Tourettes so say we have a room full of 100 people at the very least 1 person will have another related condition.

I wish I had more information on this condition but if anyone has any resources they would like to share please feel free to send me a message at autismgirl1@outlook.com