Tourette’s Syndrome
Tourette’s Syndrome, also known as Tourette’s Disorder, is a neurological disorder causing a cluster of symptoms, including most prominently, roving tics. These tics wax and wane, and move around the body, sometimes occurring as facial twitches, snaps of the head or arms, and jerky movements of the body. They are uncontrollable, although can be tamed for a certain period of time when attention is acutely diverted onto something of keen interest. Tics can only be withheld so long, before they explode out like a volcano eruption. The force with which the tics dash across the body causes extreme over-stimulation and fatigue for the person with Tourette’s Syndrome.
In order for there to be a diagnosis of Tourette’s Syndrome, there must be multiple roving tics that appear for a sustained period of time, appearing generally around the age of 4 (although not always), with the presence of a vocal (audible) tic at some points in time.
Tourette’s Syndrome generally carries with it various co-morbid disorders, which is to say that other disorders such as ADD and ADHD, Anxiety Disorder, OCD, and Depression are generally co-existing at certain if not all points along the pathway.
A rare form of Tourette’s Syndrome, called copralalia, involves the powerful blurting out of obscene, rude and inappropriate words. The outbursts are uncontrollable, and can be devastating to people with Tourette’s Syndrome and their families.
Much help will be required to assist the Tourette’s Syndrome sufferer and their family to cope with Tourette’s and its related disorders, both at home and at school, as accomplishing school work and home chores is generally very onerous, and special strategies will be required to achieve goals and help all involved to cope.
Links and Resources on Tourette’s Syndrome
Strategies and techniques for overcoming the challenges associated with Tourette’s Syndrome are found throughout the many articles that are categorized on the left side of the page under "Categories," and can also be located under the "Tags" heading (click on any word in the tag cloud for a list of articles that are relevant to Tourette’s Syndrome and its co-morbid disorders).
Additionally, links and resources outside of this site are listed below, which you may find helpful:
- The Tourette Foundation of Canada
- The Tourette Syndrome Association of Ontario
- Life’s A Twitch, a website of resources by Duncan McKinlay, Ph.D., C. Psych
-
Mindfulness Meditation Practice CDs and Tapes
Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D.,
P.O. Box 547Lexington,
MA
02420 -
Book: Full Catastrophe Living, by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., available at Amazon.ca, Publisher: Delta (May 1 1990); ISBN-10: 0385303122; ISBN-13: 978-0385303125
- (more links and resources to come)
Worcester,
MA
01604
mindfulness@umassmed.edu