Tourette Syndrome
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Tourette Syndrome was named for George Gilles de la Tourette, who first discovered the syndrome in 1885. Today there is still a mystery surrounding the disorder, it?s causes and it?s cures. But one of the biggest mysteries is an associated behavior called coprolalia. This symptom is the uncontrolled swearing or socially unacceptable utterances that some with Tourettes experience. Although despite the media?s fascination, Tourette syndrome is not the cursing disease many believe it to be.
This baffling neurological disorder is characterized by repetitive motor and/or vocal tics. The identifying symptom of TS seems to be tic disorders. ?A tic is a brief, repetitive, purposeless, non-rhythmic un-voluntary movement or sound.?(Packer 1) Tics can be many things, movements, or sounds. They can be simple or complex, eye blinking, frowning, grunting or even coughing. Most believe Tourette syndrome to be rare, in fact that is not the case. It is actually one of the most common and under diagnosed and very misunderstood disorders. (Packer 1) The National Tourette Syndrome Association published estimates that suggested that Tourette Syndrome affected only 1 in every 10,000 people but now we have evidence suggesting that 2 to 3 out of every 100 children or teenagers may have some form of the disorder (Packer 2).
Like many conditions Tourettes is a spectrum disorder (TSN 1). That means that there is a broad variety of different symptoms and it varies from mild to severe. Not all patients of TS experience the same kinds of tic disorders.
One tic in particular is ?coprolalia?. It is not required for diagnosis, but if the child or adult has it is likely to cause social embarr...
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...tion worker, mechanics, and great athletes. Some things, one might think, would be completely out of the question-above all, perhaps, the intricate, precise, and steady work of a surgeon. This would have been my own belief not so long ago. But now, improbably, I know five surgeons with Tourette?s.
In conclusion there are plenty of people with Tourette that have extremely successful lives, both with and without medication. Following the media you can find truth, lies, and injustice. And there will be those who read this and become thankful and feel so privileged to have a normal life. The fact is no one really has a truly ?normal? life. A person?s aspiration should be encouraged that are as high as a person?s natural ability and talents deserve. With greater understanding and improved treatment, life with Tourette syndrome will become easier and happier.
Tourette syndrome is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by motor and phonic tics usually starting in childhood and often accompanied by poor impulse control (Chiu, 2013, p.405). The disorder is named for Dr. Georges Gilles de la Tourette, the pioneering French neurologist who in 1885 first described the condition in an 86-year-old French woman (ninds.nih.gov, 2013). Tourette syndrome was once considered to be a rare a condition that causes a person to make repeated, quick movements or sounds that they cannot control. These movements or sounds are called tics, but this symptom is only present in a minority of cases.
One out of every 360 children have Tourettes. Tourette’s is a neurological disorder, which means that it takes place in the nervous system. It affects males three to four times more than females. There’s no exact known reason as to why. Symptoms begin at ages three to nine, and typically, the first sign is excessive blinking. This
The Power of Mistakes Atul Gawande is not only our resident surgeon; he’s also a patient himself. He’s anxious before performing surgery, he dwells on mistakes, and he has emotions: he’s human and he understands us. However, he does not appear to share concerns with his patients initially. Gawande experiences a long, drawn-out development from a young medical student to the doctor he is today. This process of identifying with patients is evident in his anthology of essays, Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science.
As a child growning up, a lot of you may have had these certain condition. I think these the the normal conditions of a child in general. All children may not experience these certain condition at the same time in life, but I am sure nearly all ch...
Tourette’s syndrome is a disorder where the affected individual will consistently exhibit “tics”. In the majority of cases these ticks are minor in character, it may just be the urge to blink, or make certain facial gestures. Less than 15% of individuals exhibit coprolalia, which is the unwarranted exclamations of profanities or other socially forbidden remarks. Perhaps those in our generation who are aware of Tourette’s syndrome have learned its symptoms through pop culture, which has glamorized (to some extent) the more severe cases of Tourette’s syndrome in YouTube videos or the animated satire of South Park. Most with Tourette’s syndrome have been diagnosed 5-8 years in childhood and experience the waning of the number and severity of tics by the time the graduate high school. For the most part, Tourette’s syndrome alone will not prevent an individual from success in the institutions of society, as it doesn’t affect the intelligence or capability of individuals. These cases, often called pure TS cases, are usually the exception. More often than not, sufferers of Tourette’s syndrome are more limited socially by common comorbid conditions like obsessive compulsive disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders.
described in an essay called “Shaking Palsy” published in 1817 by a London Physician named
rarely exhibit all of the symptoms, or all of the tics. The vocal and motor tics
How many of us wished to have super powers as kids ? I don't mean being strong as hulk, being bitten by a spider to be able to climb buildings like spider man, or be able to fly like birds around the city in the blue sky's. It is known that the human brain can not focus on a single task more than 10%. But there have been some individuals that are capable of this ability. Daniel Tammet have learned one of the most strenuous languages on earth fluently in just 7 days from his interview or Stephen Wiltshire which was capable of drawing the New York city and Rome just by having an one time tour with the helicopter and flying around the city he was able to draw the whole city and mentioning all the details without captivating any pictures or writing any notes. Amazing right? Sadly these talents have their own cost. Most of these indivisible suffer in their daily lives not being able to communicate with others within verbal communication or emotionally, most of them can't even function in their daily lives by their own, dress by them self or even eat a simple lunch not even talking about preparing the food leaving them to intended to live their lives isolated from the society. This rare syndrome i'm talking about is recognized as the savant syndrome. it's an unique condition letting the persons have an intelligence above normal in some ares in life such as musical, mechanical, artistic and mathematical, in exchange of limiting this person emotionally. Savant syndrome touches several people in the world. It can occur after birth or later in any stage of life. It affects both males and females but occurs mostly in males. Many scientists have come with different explanations for the savant syndrome. First it was discovered in 1987 by J.London Down. Also, he was the one that devised and related the disorder with the skill to mention an amazing memory. A study published by Bernard Rimland have states that "the savant skills most often present in autistic people are those associated with right hemisphere functions and the most deficient abilities are associated with left hemisphere functions (Treffer, 2002). This supports prove that the left brain hemisphere model to be correct.
Because autism symptoms vary in degrees and severity, autism is considered a spectrum disorder; each individual falls somewhere within the spectrum depending on their specific symptoms. Though autism affects a small percentage of children, the number of those affected is on the rise. There are different types of autism including Asperger’s, a mild form of autism in which the individual affected becomes obsessive over interests, and Rett syndrome which affects mostly females and is marked by the loss of communication skills. Asperger’s is on the higher
Due to the intense nature of the physical symptoms of PD and its impact of one’s life, various researchers has identified different contributory factors of this disorder. Some studies indicated hyperventilation, over activity in the noradrenergic neurotransmitter system, interceptive classical conditioning, anxiety sensitivity, catastrophic misinterpretation of bodily sensations and safety behaviors are potential factors of PD (Davey, 2014). While, other researchers have stated PD is possibly caused by genetic predisposition, abnormalities in serotonin, and early developmental factors (Sansone et al., 1998). As the etiology of PD remains unknown and further studies are being conducted, it is agreed upon the mental health community that biological, psychological and cognitive factors contribute to the etiology and maintenance of PD.
After finishing this book I realized that this is somewhat true. This is a disease that has been kept a secret, and those that suffer from it keep it a hidden. It is embarrassing and those that suffer from this wish not to be identified. It has become a ritual to the person; they feel if they admit that they suffer from this that they will be labeled as “crazy'; when if fact they are not. One of our family members may have it or friends, we never know, and that’s the amazing thing because we might be able to help them but they are not willing to be open about it.
In the book Complications, Atul writes about his experiences as a surgical residents and demonstrates a point of view of surgery that does not idealize it, but instead displays the actual pressure and complexity it actually is. Atul Gawande speaks to fellow surgeons, surgeons to be or simply those who believe that the study of surgery is just memorizing procedures, nonetheless it’s so much more complex due to the fact that every case that arrives is different. He is able to portray the complexity of surgery by putting his readers in heart racing situations faced by doctors, explaining step by step procedures, giving his personal stories of cases he has assisted in at the hospital as a resident. Atul Gawande appeals to his reader’s attitude
They appear unaware of others' feelings toward them and of the negative impact of their behavior on other people. Many children with autism engage in repetitive movements such as rocking and hair twirling, or in self-injurious behavior such as biting or head-banging. They also tend to start speaking later than other children and may refer to themselves by name instead of "I," or "me." Some speak in a sing-song voice about a narrow range of favorite topics, with little regard for the interests of the person to whom they are speaking. People with autism often have abnormal responses to sounds, touch, or other sensory stimulation. Many show reduced sensitivity to pain. They also may be extraordinarily sensitive to other sensations. These unusual sensitivities may contribute to behavioral symptoms such as resistance to being cuddled.
Tourette's syndrome is a hereditary movement disorder. Its symptoms are by multiple motor and vocal tics (repeated muscle contractions). It is during the childhood and adolescence in which Tourette’s syndrome and its symptoms develop, usually between the ages...
Diagnosing Autism is based on four characteristics: difficulty with language, abnormal responses to sensory stimuli, resistance to change and difficulty with social interaction. ?Other characteristics of autism may include: making the same repetitive motion for hours, repeating a sound or phrase, inability to hold a conversation, practicing unusual play patterns, and extreme sensitivity to sound and touch? (Riccio, 1999). Autistics can exhibit any combination of these characteristics in any degree. That is why autism is referred to as a ?spectrum? disorder, because at one end of the disorder a child may be inflicted with some symptoms, while at the opposite end a child may be inflicted with multiple symptoms with many areas in between. Children who display few symptoms may be characterized as ?mildly autistic?.