Tourette Syndrome

Tourette syndrome (also called Tourette’s syndrome, Tourette’s disorder, Gilles de la Tourette syndrome, GTS or, more commonly, simply Tourette’s or TS) is an inherited neuropsychiatric disorder with onset in childhood, characterized by multiple repetitive and involuntary physical (motor) tics and at least one vocal (phonic) tic; these tics characteristically wax and wane but should be present nearly every day or intermittently throughout a year. Tourette syndrome is defined as part of a spectrum of tic disorders, which includes transient and chronic tics. Transient, or simple, motor tics are brief, repetitive movements such as eye blinking while simple vocal tics may include grunting or sniffing. Chronic and complex tics include more coordinated patterns of movement that may appear purposeful and vocalizations such as repeating other people’s words.

The worst symptoms are experienced in the teen years and while symptoms can stay with an individual for their whole life, improvement occurs in the late teens and adulthood.

For more information, please click on the following links:

• http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=By_Illness&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=54&ContentID=23053
• http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/tourette_syndrome/hic_tourette_syndrome.aspx
• http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/tourette-syndrome/DS00541

Source: http://www.aacap.org