Have you ever noticed someone that seemed to have uncontrollable movements or random outbursts of noises or words? These symptoms can be the cause of a motor or vocal tic disorder. According to the Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders, Tic disorders are characterized by the persistent presence of tics, which are abrupt, repetitive involuntary movements and sounds that have been described as caricatures of normal physical acts.
The best known of these disorders is Tourette’s disorder, or Tourette’s syndrome. T. (n. d. ). Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders). Some of these movements can appear to be intentional but in reality they are not. There are other disorders that often associate with or cause tics such as ADHD, obsessive-compulsive disorder, epilepsy, and anxiety. Tics can be motor or vocal. Motor means by movement, and voice is by sound. There are three types of tic disorders. The first is a transient tic disorder, which means that the tics have been happening for less than one year.
The second is a chronic or persistent tic disorder, which is less common and is when the tics happen for over a year’s time. The third is Tourette’s syndrome which means you have multiple motor tics and also voice tics. Usually tics start before the age of 18. It is three times more prevalent in males than in females. Although the cause of Tourette syndrome is unknown, evidence suggests that there may be an abnormality of one or more chemical neurotransmitters in the brain. (The Editors of Encyclop? dia Britannica. 2012, May 03)).
There are simple and complex symptoms to motor and vocal tic disorders. Symptoms of simple motor tic disorders include excessive blinking, head twitching, nose wrinkling, lip biting, facial grimacing, and shoulder shrugging. Symptoms of complex motor tics can include quick movements of arms, legs, and other areas of the body, kicking, skipping, jumping, and mimicking movements of other people. (Hasan, S. (Ed. ) 2016). The simple vocal tics symptoms would be coughing, sniffing, hissing, grunts and other noises.
The more complex symptoms are animal sounds, calling out, yelling, and repeating words and phrases. (Hasan, S. (Ed. ) 2016). Some individuals can fight the tic for a while, but often it brings the person relief to carry out the sound or movement. Effects on adults and children Living with a tic disorder can be managed depending on how severe it is. It can be frustrating at times and maybe a little embarrassing. Stress and over thinking does not help with improving the symptoms. Though having the chronic symptoms can cause stress as it is.
The best thing you can do is to understand your disorder and manage the options you have to control it and make the best choices for yourself. As you grow older, you can start to develop more health problems. Depression and anxiety can start to form especially in people with TS disorder. Even as adults we can still feel discriminated against. Even in work places. After experience of having a disorder for a while, it could be easier to help younger people who struggle with the same things as you do and to enforce having a more assertive attitude.
Adults should have a good source of support and to try and live a more healthy living style. According to AACP, Tics may affect up to 10 percent of children during the early school years. Teachers or others may notice the tics and wonder if the child is under stress or “nervous. ” (A. (n. d. )). Having a tic in school could lead to being a victim of bullying. A better understanding of what adolescents go through is a quote sixteen year old Cameron Crane said: “Mr. Crane says his tics make it tough to concentrate at school, and he often gets headaches and a sore neck as a result of his tics.
He’s particularly bothered when people stare. “It gets really annoying, and you feel like an outcast”. ” (Pope, T. P. (2010, February 10). These children suffering from a tic disorder need to have strong emotional support from friends, family, and teachers. Many students with TS experience learning difficulties. There is helpful advice from the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society, which states that most patients with mild symptoms will benefit from education regarding the diagnosis and what to expect from the condition.
Education should be extended to parents as well as teachers to create a suitable environment for the affected individual and explain them they are not a mental disorder. (Tics & Tourette Syndrome. (n. d. )). There is no cure, only medication to help symptoms. It is important for children to be involved in activities There was an 8 month long clinical research study done on school children from November 1999 – June 2000 to determine the variations in frequency of motor tics and associated problem behaviors.
1553 children were rated from 0-3 (0 none, 1 mild, 2 moderate, and 3 severe. in each of six categories: disruptive, hyperactive, impulsive, aggressive, anxious, and distracted. The results were that the motor tics and problem behaviors was significantly higher during the winter months of November through February, compared with the spring months of March through June. For most children, the tics were mild, observed on only 1 occasion, and were not accompanied by problem behaviors. (Tics and problem behaviors in schoolchildren: prevalence, characterization, and associations. (n. d. )).
Effect on Family Parenting is challenging and even more challenging to a child who has a chronic tic or TS. Talking to other people who deal with the same problems you and your family have can help you make changes and make the right choices for your family member. Many people may feel embarrassed and ashamed to have a family member with a tic disorder, but instead of looking to the negatives maybe bring more awareness to people who don’t realize how disorders effects families lives. Reach out to communities and do fundraisers to help support your loved one.
Louis Centanni a person with TS interviewed by The New York Times says, “He says he is comfortable being “the funny guy with Tourette’s. ” “I always love making people laugh. How can you not laugh at this disorder? ” he says. “It doesn’t cut my lifespan. I’m not sick because of it. It just makes it really hard to shave. ”. (Pope, T. P. (2010, February 10). ) His statement gives comfort and some light to his story. He can turn something that he is dealing with every day into something fun for himself and others by his confidence. Statistics Half of children with TS are not diagnosed.
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study found that one of every 360 (0. 3%) children six to seventeen years of age in the United States have been diagnosed with TS based on parent report; this is about 138,000 children. (Data & Statistics. (2016, December 05)). No one should let a disorder dictate who you are. Not everyone is perfect, and there needs to be some sort of acceptance to live a happy life. The Tourette Association of America (TAA) is all over the United States with doctors who are experienced in treating Tic Disorders.
There is help and hope for people who feel like an outcast because of this disorder. To bring this paper to an end is a quote from Kellie Haines that shows another example of a person with TS who makes light of their situation. Ms. Haines, a ventriloquist, said a tic caused her to mimic people, and she learned to do voices without moving her lips. One of her puppets, Magrau the Bird, also has Tourette’s, which she uses to educate children about the disorder. Pope, T. P. (2010, February 10).
