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Tourette Syndrome is not just about coprolalia (in which the person involuntarily utters socially taboo or inappropriate words) as many people tend to think - thanks to the media. It is also not contagious so can not be passed on from person to person so you don't need to panic standing next to someone with TS. You also will not die from it. Also in the media and on the web, you will read a lot about TS and behaviour, I think we need to remember that TS is involuntary movements and vocalizations and a lot of the behaviours we see associated with TS on the media and web do not portray an accurate description of TS. Most people with TS will cope with life fine, and we need to make sure that if our child has other issues like rage, behavioural issues, obsessive compulsive issues that we do not just lump it under the TS umbrella but get an accurate diagnosis. It is not usually TS that causes the problems but other underlying issues that may have not been diagnosed.
Tourette Syndrome (or TS) is a neurological disorder (not a psychiatric disorder) characterized by involuntary movements and vocalizations. Now, what does that mean? First, neurological means that it involves the central nervous system, so nerves and the brain play a big role in TS.
What are involuntary movements and vocalizations? For someone with TS, these behaviours are better known as "tics." Tics are the most noticeable part of having TS. A tic is a physical or verbal behaviour that people with TS do, even though they have no control over it. Remember having to sneeze or hiccup; tics are similar. An individual's tics change over time, involving different parts of the body and different sounds. Also, an individual may have more tics at one time than another. While there is no cure for TS, medicine can decrease symptoms of the disorder.
I found this written by some one with TS and I think it sums it up pretty well
"I live with the social stigma nearly every day. As much as I hate to admit it, there is a common social stigma that people who twitch are crazy.
I often feel like I'm trapped in a broken body. I can't get it to stop twitching. I can suppress the urge to twitch for a short while, but I can't stop it. If I suppress it, then I only wind up twitching all the harder later and it winds up being so much more painful, and I already live in constant discomfort from it. I have trouble sleeping, many nights, because my leg won't stop "popping."
Upon learning that I have Tourette's Syndrome, most people ask the inevitable, "Oh, the disease that makes you curse?" Very rarely do they say "condition." Most of the time, it's "disease." I usually try to explain calmly that very few individuals with Tourette's actually curse. Everybody has different symptoms. It just so happens that the popular media loves to focus in on the things that cause a stir, that get attention, that make money from sensationalism. The public gets a good laugh, the media make a little money, and I get gawked at."
Don't forget to check out the other pages links on the right hand side and I have set up a link page on where you can find useful information for new Zealand as well as some great international sites.
"Together we can take the stigma out of Tourette Syndrome and get the truth out there"
bravenet.com