This is the month of Tourette syndrome awareness.
It becomes relevant now, because the tics or manifestations of Tourette’s syndrome can be easily misconstructed for symptoms of covid-19.
Tourette’s syndrome is a manifestation of certain tics, which are uncontrolled movements that occur due to unknown reasons. It is believed to be due dysfunction of the neural pathway in the Basal ganglion.
The disorder begins in childhood. The common manifestations/symptoms/tics being:
- Blinking
- Eye rolling
- Grimacing
- Shoulder shrugging, jerking of the head or other limbs
- Jumping twirling
- Touching objects and people.
At more sever stages it can manifest what is called as coprolalia. Coprolalia is using obscene words or being socially inappropriate. 40% of the Tourette’s victims develop to this stage.
Tourette’s syndrome is essentially a neurodevelopment syndrome and manifests at childhood or early adolescence. Currently 1% of the children are diagnosed with this, it is often in association with OCD, or ADHD.
Tourette’s neither effects life expectancy nor does it effect intelligence. The diagnosis would be made by elimination, after the neurologists runs the relevant test. To diagnose Tourette’s syndrome the following criteria is required
- Multiple motor and one or more vocal tic should be present sometime during the illness.
- Tics are recurrent, non-rhythmic actions or vocalization that can be suppressed for a period when a person focuses on stopping them.
- 40% of the patients develop of coprolalia.
- Most people develop a discomforting sensation prior to the manifestation of the tics. The discomfort vanishes once the tics are performed.
- Tics could occur intermittently through the year, or many times during the day.
- The onset is usually in childhood in any case before the age of 21.
- Usually begins as a facial tic.
Medications are not often used to treat this condition. But lifestyle changes can be made.
- The most important need is to find an support and self help group.
- Focused physical activity is one way of managing Tourette’s syndrome as it distracts the individual from the onset of tics.
- Most of them tend to creative, so tapping their creative side is another interesting options.
- People with Tourette’s syndrome tend to be very empathetic. They can be part of volunteer outreach which helps in managing their self esteem too.
ANAHITA 