Georges Gilles de la Tourette's Syndrome

Introduction

In 1885, French neurologist Georges Gilles de la Tourette, publish a two-part paper in which he described a disorder that was later called Tourette’s Syndrome (TS). Up until that time physicians believed that the symptoms that presented themselves as tics or jerks were the symptoms of a type of chorea or a type of hysteria (Kolb & Whishaw, 1996). Tourette’s is described in the DSM-IV-TR as a client presenting with both motor and at least one vocal tic over a period of one year, wherein, no symptom-free periods lasting more than three consecutive months. Symptoms presented as only motor tics or only vocal tics are classified as other tic disorders (Phelps, 2008).

Research

Three in 1,000 children are diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome in the United States every year and affecting males three times as often as females with a 3:1 ratio (CDC, 2007). The age of onset for Tourette’s Syndrome ranges between 2 and 15 years of age, with 97% of cases showing symptoms by age 11 (Kolb & Whishaw, 1996) and 27% of children diagnosed with TS report their symptoms as moderate or severe (CDC, 2007). Although TS is seen across racial groups, it is twice as likely to occur in non-Hispanic White racial groups than it is in Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black racial groups (CDC, 2007). Of individuals with Tourette’s, 30% - 40% have at least one family member with either Tourette’s or another tic disorder (Kolb & Whishaw, 1996). This gives evidence to the theory that Tourette’s Syndrome is hereditary.

Gilles de la Tourette proposed that there are three stages to Tourette’s. The first stage is when the symptoms begin with tics forming in the face area, such as excessive blinking. The second stage is “inarticulate crie...

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...which I liked because none of my other resources went into as much detail about genetics. The textbook for this course was also very helpful even though information on Tourette’s was on only two pages. It gave a lot of information in a condensed package; this made finding the information easier.

A lot of research still needs to be done in this area to find causes for Tourette’s. Researchers are also looking into new treatment methods whether it will be a therapy-based treatment or even neurosurgery. I think that as research into these questions produces more results, we will hopefully begin to get some answers. The problem is that Tourette’s Syndrome has an unpredictable course since tics change throughout an individual’s life and the types, frequency, and severity of the tics associated with Tourette’s Syndrome varies between individuals (Prestia, 2003).