Tourette syndrome's Description and Analysis

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.

Tics are the most common symptom of Tourette syndrome. A tic is an involuntary, repetitive movement of muscles usually in the face, neck, shoulders, trunk and hands (Diane, 2011, p.662). Symptoms of Tourette syndrome is often first noticed during childhood, between ages 7 and 10. Most children with Tourette syndrome also have other medical problems such as ADHD and OCD Tourette syndrome exhibit multiple behavioral symptoms including ADHD and OCD, which, like Tourette syndrome, are clinically diagnosed without testing (Chiu, 2013, p.406). According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision, motor and vocal tics are classified as simple or complex (Diane, 2011, p.663). Simple motor tics include eye blinking, neck jerking, shoulder shrugging, head banging, head turning, tongue protrusion, nail biting, hair pulling, and facial grimacing (Diane, 2011, p.663). Some examples of complex motor tics are facial gestures, grooming behaviors, hitting or biting oneself, jumping, hopping, touching, squatting, retracing steps, smelling an object, and imitating the movements of ...

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...e in the brain to deliver electrical stimulation to targeted areas that control movement (mayoclinic.com, 2013).

Works Cited

Chiu, D. (2013) .Casefiles:Neurology. NewYork: Mcgraw-Hill.

Diane, A. (2011). Professional guide to signs and symptoms. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams

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Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/tourette/detail tourette.htm

Treatment and drugs. (2013). Mayoclinic. Retrieved 8, March 2014, from mayoclinic.com. www.mayoclinic.com/health/tourette-syndrome/D500541/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs Ryan CA, Gosselin GJ, DeMaso DR. Habit and tic disorders. In: Kliegman RM, Stanton BF, St.

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