Tourette's Syndrome Gilles de la Tourette’s Syndrome (TS) is a sporadic or inherited complex neuropsychiatric disorder (not an illness) influenced by neurological, psychological, and sociological factors. It is characterized by involuntary tics - sudden, rapid, recurrent nonrhythmic movements or noises that occur repeatedly in the same way (Temple, 2003). The symptoms include: both multiple motor tics and one or more phonic tics (which may or may not include vocalizations and which sometimes include outbursts of swearing) present at some time during the disorder although not necessarily simultaneously; tics occur many times a day (usually in bouts) nearly every day or …show more content…
However, as Nass and Bressman (2002) state, the relationships between both ADHD and TS and OCD and TS are complex and not yet clear. In addition to this, until now linkage analysis has pointed to a number of chromosomal locations, but has failed to identify a clear candidate gene(s).
Treating TS
Treating TS has been a controversial issue among scientist for years. The kind of medication that should be prescribed to people with TS is currently under debate mainly because TS is frequently accompanied along with other disorders such as OCD or ADHD. Due to that there is no one medication that is absolutely beneficial for all persons with TS. Moreover, none of the available medications for TS completely eliminates symptoms and in addition, all medications have side effects. Instead, the available TS medications are only able to help reduce specific symptoms. Some patients who require medication to reduce the frequency and intensity of the tic symptoms may be treated with neuroleptic drugs such as haloperidol and pimozide (Abuzzahab & Brown, 2001). These medications are usually given in very small doses that are increased slowly until the best possible balance between symptoms and side effects is achieved. Recently scientists have discovered that long-term use of neuroleptic drugs may cause an involuntary movement
Tardive dyskinesia is a persistent movement disorder that can result from a prolonged use of antipsychotics and is more prominent with the use of atypical antipsychotics. My preceptor decided to start the patient on Clozapine because of its effectiveness with previous clients that had tardive dyskinesia. According to my preceptor, Clozapine has shown signs of minimizing symptoms of tardive dyskinesia. Treatment did not start immediately as the patient had to get baseline labs, which included absolute neutraphil count, blood glucose, and lipid levels. Patient's weight, height, and BMI were also obtained. AIMS scale was not used with this patient as it does not include tremors. Effectiveness was based on the patients subjective account, and physical observation. Clozapine was started at a low dose and titrated up to 125mg PO QHS. Patient is getting weekly lab work for absolute neutraphil count. To date, there is no sufficient data available that suggests a cure for this movement disorder. However, the question is, among adults, what available treatments have shown the greatest effectiveness in minimizing the symptoms of tardive
In "A Plague of Tics," David Sedaris's describes his life from childhood to adulthood. He suffers from OCD (Obsessive-compulsive disorder). Sedaris writes, "If I were to lose count of my steps, I'd have to return to school and begin again" (360). This showcases the extreme case of Sedaris's OCD; that if he does not make his route absolutely perfect, he won't be able to find peace. His compulsive routine as a young child included his unsettling "tics", which he had little to no control over. "It never fails to amaze me that people might notice these things. Because my actions were so intensely private, I had always assumed they were somewhat invisible" (Sedaris 362). Ironically, Sedaris refers to his "tics" as actions that were private
In 2011 began the start of the Le Roy Hysteria with Katie Krautwurst. Soon the numbers grew, all teenage girls, from 12 all the way to 18 in a school of 600. Many doctors assumed that Katie got tics from stress in her life, as the numbers grew the more people looked into the problem. The girls showed “strange Tourette-like condition with tics”. It is more common the Tourette syndrome is to appear amongst teenage males rather than females. It is so uncommon for a dozen females in the same location to suddenly develop the Tourette syndrome.
Tourette syndrome is a disorder that is found in the nervous system and is most commonly found in children. Forms of Tourette’s can range from being severe to being mild, causing people to have motor or vocal tics. “Other symptoms such as the expression of socially inappropriate comments or behaviors, obsessive compulsive disorder, attention deficit disorder, self-injuring behavior, depression, and anxiety also appear to be associated with Tourette syndrome” (Tourette syndrome, 1). Tourette’s mainly affects children and teens. It occurs less as you get older. During the late teen years, the severity of Tourette’s decreases. “Some of the suggested risk factors include severe psychological trauma, recurrent daily stresses, extreme emotional excitement, PANDAS (pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder with streptococcal infection), and drug abuse” (Tourette syndrome, 1). Tourette’s can effect someone negatively, due to some of the actions that can occur. People misunderstand people with Tourette’s,
Overall, David Sedaris’ essay exemplifies the harsh reality what a person living with OCD has to deal with. Throughout the “Plague of Tics” I found Sedaris’ actions and emotions mirrored much of my own which evoked much sympathy from me. Some people may not be able to relate or understand and may view the way he
One of the best ways to cope with TS is to remember that the tics usually lessen in severity as an individual gets older. Tics usually reach its highest potential during early teens to the middle years of adolescence. If a person with TS
The following is an overview about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), one of the most difficult psychiatric illness to be understood. The way of doing certain behaviors, thoughts or routines repeatedly is the essential condition of a person with OCD. In general, it is known and described by someone who is extremely perfectionist and meticulous. Unfortunately, they do realize those habits and be able to stop doing it. Common behaviors are such as checking locks, doors, stove bottoms, and lights, hand washing, counting things, or having recurrent intrusive thoughts of hurting oneself or somebody else.
Dr. Bennett is diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome, a neurological disorder characterized by repetitive, stereotyped, involuntary movements and vocalizations called tics. (MedicineNet) However his illness
“MIA!” I hear my father yell my name just before he jerks his car to the right in order to avoid from hitting me. I snapped out of my trance after hearing the metal of his car smashing into a tree with some cringy sounds of metal ripping and scratching against other chunks of metal, sounding like nails on a chalkboard. No. Now, I see myself standing inches from the long mirror in my room beside my bed. It had a crack in it. The crack looked like a lightning strike but were the crack formed, there was a build up of cracks shaped like a crater. I don’t remember where it came from. I take a deep breath and hear my mom, slamming her body roughly into my door and shouting my name at the top of her lungs. I forgot to do the dishes again.
Dr. say there are many types of Tourette's, in motor Tourette's there are uncontrollable movements like eye blinking, shoulder shrugging, head jerking, and many other body movements. Vocal tics would be one like humming, whistling, throat clearing, or sniffing. This sort of disability lasts up to 6 to 7 years. A lot of the first symptoms start in the facial area and later on move to tics in the arms or legs, and males are 3 to 4 times likely to have Tourette's than
Gordon and colleagues (1993), have conducted a double-blind crossover study using clomipramine, desipramine, and placebo. In their study, they found clomipramine to be superior to both desipramine and placebo in reducing repetitive behaviors, compulsive behaviors, and anger. Clomipramine and desipramine were equally effective in treating hyperactivity. Another study focused on PDDs adults by Brodkin et al. (1997) reported a positive clinical response in 55% of the subjects. According to the authors, the clinical improvements were seen in repetitive thoughts and behaviors, aggressive behaviors, as well as some improvement in social
The causes of Tourette and other Tic Disorders are still unknown. The said conditions are hereditary and so genetics clearly play a role in many, if not most or all, occurrences of the conditions. The environment might also contribute for its development but up until now, no specific agent or event has been identified. Therefore, TS and Tic Disorders are likely to be caused by complex interactions between genetic and other factors which may vary in different individuals. Studies are underway to find the genes and other factors underlying the development of these
Tourette Syndrome (TS), first described by Gilles de la Tourette, can be the most debilitating of the tic disorders and is characterized by multiform, frequently changing motor and vocal or phonic tics. There are multiple diagnostic criteria, as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV.
Tourette syndrome (TS) is a disorder of the brain that is observed in people who have involuntary movements or vocalizations called tics. Named after Dr. Georges Gilles de la Tourette who first discovered this disorder, this French neurologist described a noblewoman who exhibited these symptoms in 1885. These tics could range from repetitive movements to inappropriate vocalizations.
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a disorder that causes someone to have unwanted and troubling thoughts and repetitive behaviors (Lack, 2012). People may self-diagnose themselves to be obsessive compulsive. But people with obsessive compulsive disorder need to spend at least 1 hour daily on obsessive thoughts and rituals (Ellyson, 2014). This disorder is broken into two parts. The first part is obsessions, thoughts or images, and the second part is compulsions, the repetitive behaviors caused by the obsessions (Brakoulias, 2015). An example of obsessive compulsive disorder would be someone checking the locked door multiple times to reduce anxiety about forgetting to lock the door. On average 5% of the population has subclinical symptoms which are considered to be symptoms that are not disruptive enough to meet criteria to be diagnosed obsessive compulsive (Lack, 2012). Dropping what you’re doing to go back and check if your curling iron is unplugged is an example of a subclinical symptom. This paper will discuss what obsessive compulsive disorder is and provide a brief history. It will also include current treatments, suggestions on how to treat the disorder, and a summary.