What is tourette syndrome ?
Tourette Syndrome is a collection of phenomena that manifests as uncontrolled muscle movements and making noises (tics). The syndrome is named after the French neurologist Georges Gilles de la Tourette (1857-1904). People who suffer, have an uncontrollable urge to make certain movements or certain sounds or words to express it.
Such unwanted and in dealing mostly in more or less distracting movements and sounds are ' tics '. When regularly at least two motor tics and one vocal tic (not necessarily at the same time) may occur within an observation period of at least one year, then it is called Tourette Syndrome. One can also have tic-free periods throughout the year, which can last up to three months.
Feature
The diagnosis of Tourette syndrome is diagnosed as:
- regularly at least two motor and possibly one vocal tic are present;
- the tics for more than a year to continue;
- other neurological causes have been excluded.
Movement Tics, also called motor tics:
- wink one's eyes
- draw a grimace
- swiveling of the eyes
- raising the nose
- quick head-shaking
- shoulders go up
- snap of the fingers or other extremities, and have no control over it (this is air between the cartilage that moves through the movement). This can sometimes be a real 'tic', but also a form of coercion as below mentioned in this article.
- several tics in limbs
Sound Tics, also called vocal tics:
- scraping throat
- cough
- growl
- hisses
- click with the tongue
- uttering meaningless slogans
- expressing fence and opprobrious words, swearing (coprolalia)
- repeating words or phrases (echolalia or palilalia)
The movement tics can affect any body part and the sound tics range from throat scraping and snorting loudly to call it unintended words and phrases. The first symptoms of the syndrome usually manifest around the age of six to seven years, sometimes later, but in principle the age of 21. Previously, there were often diffuse complaints from hyperactivity and attention disorders. Usually one sees initially only motor tics such as eye blinking, grimacing, head shaking. One or two years later, we hear the first sounds like scraping throat grom- or snuff sounds. Later still occur frequently obsessions and operations on. Sometimes the symptoms manifest themselves in a different order or all at once.
The Tourette syndrome is often wrongly used as a synonym for coprolalia. This tic consists of uttering foul language and is perhaps the most famous, but certainly not the most common tic in people suffering from the syndrome. Coprolalia is rather rare and occurs only in 5-10% of patients.
One can retain the same tics or ever new gain that can change also further from day to day in intensity. However, there are no two people with the syndrome of Tourette same, everyone has his personal tics.
People with Tourette syndrome often catch many more stimuli from the environment than those without Tourette Syndrome, similar to highly sensitive people. The processing of these additional incentives often done by means of tics. People with Tourette Syndrome are often sensitive people who do not like change and have fewer tics when their life situation is stable.
Also can people around to make sure that the tics become worse, by the tics to laugh or comments to make about it. This increases the number of stimuli and can the person nervous and insecure. Sometimes take people with tics also other tics about people, especially people with compulsive disorders, for example at a meeting of people with Tourette Syndrome. This gives people with Tourette's syndrome be more incentives and the tics worse. If people don't watch, can reduce the tics on the tics.
Prevalence
The syndrome occurs in about 1 in 100 people and is four times more common in men than in women. Earlier studies indicated a lower prevalence. More recently, the estimated prevalence varies between 0.4% and 3.8% among young people between 5 and 18 years, with an overall estimate of 1%.