Kashish Sharma
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Written By: Kashish Sharma | Updated : March 15, 2023 9:26 AM IST
While these tics can diminish with age, sometimes they can disappear by adulthood and for others, the condition might exist lifelong.
Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a neurological condition characterized by sudden movements, sounds or twitches people might do repeatedly. These movements are often unwanted and uncontrollable. It is also called the 'tic' disorder. These movements are like hiccups, one might not want to do them but our body might do it anyways. They can be motor or vocal. They might repeatedly come and go. Some popular artists like Billie Eilish also suffer from the condition. Apart from the physiological discomfort, the condition also has an attached stigma to it. Many people, especially children might try to suppress these tics or avoid social settings.
While these tics can diminish with age, sometimes they can disappear by adulthood and for others, the condition might exist lifelong.
Tics or these movements can be of many kinds. They could be motor, for instance, blinking, shrugging the shoulders, jerking and others. They could also be vocal, for instance, humming, clearing their throat, compulsive cursing and others. They can also be simple or complex. Simple tics might involve movements like sniffing but complex tics might involve movements in various parts of the body.
As per reports, there is an 'urge' like some tension building up before a sneeze and it is only relieved after the expression of this tic. Many people are able to recognize this feeling that usually follows the execution of the tic. Also, as per studies, tics can worsen stress and anxiety. The movements might accompany other conditions like ADHD, OCD and anxiety. Since the movements are usually unusual, this condition is highly stigmatized and the affected people might sometimes try to hide these tics consciously in fear of feeling out of place.
As per reports, people can sometimes consciously try to suppress tics to avoid social embarrassment. While some tics can be suppressed to some extent and for some duration but when the person might release them free, they can be more intense than usual. Some people might camouflage it, for instance, if they have the urge to jerk their arm, they might start scratching it and transform it into something new or if a person has the urge to make some sound or say some words, they might try to distract others by diverting their attention to some other sound or thing. There are no such promising treatments for tics but affected people often take behavioural therapies to come to terms with the condition and to learn acceptance.
