After a particularly bad string of behaviors that got pretty scary, we admitted Sammy to a psychiatric hospital. He was ten years old and this was his second admission. His first was when he was only four years old.

We were shocked when one of the diagnosis that we received was Tourette’s Syndrome (TS). We didn’t know very much about TS, but what we did know surely didn’t fit Sammy. He did not jerk his head, he didn’t shout out curse words (involuntarily) or do things that we had seen on TV about people with TS.

We learned that what we had seen were the severe cases, Sammy’s was mild. When the psychiatrist explained what we thought were just annoying behaviors were actually TS tics, things made more sense.

In order for someone to be diagnosed with TS, they must have both physical and oral tics. Less than 15% of patients with TS have the extreme tics that you may be familiar with. Instead the tics are usually not obvious and can present as annoying behaviors instead. Here are some examples.

Oral tics

• Coughing
• Clearing the throat
• Grunting
• Repeating words
• Humming
• Spitting

Physical tics

• Blinking
• Shrugging shoulders
• Picking or “clicking” finger nails
• Lip licking
• Pulling at clothes or air

Most kids start to exhibit tics about the age of six or seven. The most important thing to know is that the tics are not something done to annoy you and the kids fight very hard to not have tics. I know one child who paces in circles as one of his tics. If you’re a child do you want your friends to see you doing this, or are you going to fight to control this?

Kids feel that they absolutely must do this behavior, kind of like scratching an itch. The more you try not to do the behavior or try to ignore it, the more you focus on it.

There are several famous people who live with Tourette’s every day. This may help your child feel more at ease with their disorder.

• Howie Mandel
• David Beckham
• Dan Ackroyd
• Howard Hughes

There is no cure for Tourette’s but there are medications that can help to reduce the tics. Risperdal, Abilify, Tenex, Zyprexa, Geodon and Seroquel are all medications that can help. The other side benefit of these medications is that they are also used for other mental health disorders. Many children who have Tourette’s also have co-existing diagnosis. It may be ADHD or an anxiety disorder, but these medications can take care of two disorders with one medication.

People with Tourette’s can live a very full and happy life. Some will require some modifications of schedule, but most will go un-noticed. This is not a disorder to be afraid of, but instead one that can be worked with.

Tourette Syndrome Plus
Tourette Syndrome Camp

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