FAQ
How do you get Tourette syndrome?
Tourette syndrome is not something you "get" like a cold, or the mumps. The general consensus is that you are born with it, but it only starts to be obvious between 3-18 years of age.
How many people have Tourette syndrome?
Statistics vary, but approximately 1 in every 100 live births has Tourette syndrome.
Who can get Tourette syndrome?
Anyone can get Tourette syndrome, although the likelihood of getting Tourette syndrome varies between races, sexes and geographic regions.
Is there any way to prevent Tourette syndrome?
Unfortunately not. While there are known to be environmental triggers to Tourette syndrome, cutting some, or all, of them out is unlikely to prevent the condition from manifesting itself. It may delay the onset, or decrease the severity...but this is also unlikely.
Is there a cure for Tourette syndrome?
No. sorry.
I only have motor tics...is that Tourette syndrome?
I only have vocal tics...is that Tourette syndrome?
Both of these questions are simple yet complex to answer...and I
get asked them a lot.
The simple answer is NO it is NOT Tourette Syndrome.
The complex answer takes into account the question:
...is that like Tourette syndrome?
Lets go back quickly to the diagnosis criteria for Tourette's. Point number one is that
both multiple motor and one or more vocal tics have been present at some time during the illness, although not necessarily concurrently.
I have highlighted the both and the and for obvious reasons. You MUST have BOTH motor AND vocal tics to have Tourette's.
When only motor, or only vocal tics are present, this is called Chronic tic syndrome. Chronic Tic syndrome is basically IDENTICAL to Tourette's, but it only has one or the other not both.
So everything I've said on this site can be related to Chronic Tic Syndrome. Realistically I should have called this site TICS101, but I have Tourette's...I don't personally know what Chronic tic is like.
If you'd like to share your experiences of Chronic tic syndrome with everyone, please email me and I'll put the info up on this site. Hopefully I will get enough information to put up a chronic tic section on this website.
What medications can be taken for Tourette Syndrome?
The most common medication is Haloperidol, which works in 90% of cases. However, for those who are not helped by Haloperidol or who have too many side effects from it, most anti-psychotics can be used for treating TS. Also used are SSRI antidepressants, some stimulants, and some people can treat themselves with a modified diet. For more information, click here.
What are all the different names of TS for?
You may have heard any or all of these names:
Tourette syndrome, Tourette's syndrome, Tourette disorder, Tourette's disorder, Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome, TS, TD, TS plus, Tourette spectrum disorder
The correct punctuation is Tourette's
because it is the condition "belonging to" Gilles de la
Tourette.
However many people use Tourette because it is slightly quicker to type and the
spell check doesn't complain about it. I use whichever would sound better
if I said the sentence out loud.
The syndrome/disorder debate is a hard one. The word syndrome sounds a bit more serious than disorder, but it does stress the fact that Tourette's is a biological condition, not an illness. Disorder seems to be used to encompass the whole Tourette spectrum. Syndrome is very much describing motor and vocal tics and nothing else.
TS and TD are just short forms of Tourette syndrome and Tourette disorder.
TS Plus and Tourette spectrum disorder go where the basic TD definition doesn't. They cover TS, as well as any co-morbid conditions.
What is a co-morbid condition?
Co-morbid conditions are syndromes, illnesses, etc. that are not part of Tourette syndrome, but are more likely in people with TS. The most common one is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
What co-morbid conditions are there?
With TS, lots.
The ones I know of are:
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
Uni-polar Depression (basic depression)
Bi-polar disorder (manic depression)
Attention deficit disorder (ADD)
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Alcoholism
Dyslexia
Panic attacks
Generalised panic disorders
Social phobia
Agoraphobia (fear of open spaces)
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Ulcers
Reflux
Speech abnormalities
Sleep apnoea
but there are probably many more.