Free Essays on Tourette Syndrome

over and over again in their mind. ... Free Essays on Tourette Syndrome Free Essays on Tourette Syndrome What is Tourette’s syndrome? Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a neurological disorder characterized by tics. According to Bruun, Cohen, and Leckman (1984), â€Å"tics are involuntary, repetitive, and stereotyped movements of individual muscle groups†. Most disorders involving tics are divided into categories according to age of onset, duration of symptoms, and the presence of vocal or phonic tics in addition to motor tics. People with this disorder may have outbursts that are not intentional. Symptoms usually appear before the age of 18. Greene (2002), reported, â€Å"Tourette’s syndrome is named for Georges Gilles de la Tourette who first described the condition in 1885. Tics (involuntary, nonrhythmic movements) are the hallmark of the disease†. Symptoms can sometimes disappear for weeks or months and come back. Greene (2002), says, â€Å"Brain scans and EEG’s show differences in the brains of children with Tourette’s. These changes are influenced by genetics, by neurobiology , and by what is going on in the child’s life†. Tourette Syndrome Association, Inc. (2000-2002) says, â€Å"Most people with TS lead productive lives and participate in all professions. Increased public understanding and tolerance of TS symptoms are important to people with Tourette syndrome†. Increased awareness on Tourette’s syndrome can help people understand the disease. What causes the disease? According to Greene (2002), â€Å"Tourette’s syndrome affects about one out of every 2,000 people. It occurs worldwide, in all ethnic groups, though it is most common among whites†. This condition is an inherited disorder that usually runs in families. Greene (2002) says, â€Å"It is three to four times more common in boys than in girls, and usually begins before age of 7. The classic symptoms of this disease are tics. The most common first symptom is a facial tic. An example of a facial tic is mouth twitching or rapidly blinking eyes. Other initial sig... Free Essays on Tourette Syndrome In 1885, a 28 year old neurologist, Georges Gilles de la Tourette came across a condition where the victims twitched and jerked uncontrollably. The people also cried out, grunted and in some cases, swore. (geocities 1) This syndrome would later be known as Tourette Syndrome. Today doctors diagnose Tourette Syndrome using the Diagnostic Service Manual. DSM-IV gives the criteria for Tourette Syndrome as follows: 1) both multiple motor and one or more vocal tics have been present at sometime during the illness, although not necessarily concurrently. 2) The tics occur many times a day (usually in bouts) nearly everyday or intermittently throughout a period of one year, and during this period there was never a tic free period of more than three consecutive months. 3) The disturbance causes marked distress or significant impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning. 4) The onset is before the age 18 years. 5) The disturbance is not due to direct psychological effects of a substance (e.g. stimulants) or a general medical condition (e.g. Huntington’s Disease or post viral encephalitis). There are many specific symptoms of Tourette Syndrome. Tourette Syndrome is diagnosed by â€Å" observing symptoms and by evaluating the history of onset.† (pbs 1) This syndrome is characterized by tics. Tics include involuntary, rapid or sudden movements or vocalizations that happen repeatedly in the same way. Four categories of tics exist for Tourette Syndrome. They are motor tics, vocal tics, mental tics, and breathing tics. Motor tics consist of eye blinking, head swaying and other similar movements. Vocal tics include, coughing, sniffing, clearing of the throat, grunting, or saying obscene words. Mental tics have recently been studied and added as a category. The sufferers often recite things in their mind repeatedly. They also may list things or think of certain words over and over again in their mind. ...