what are the symptoms for turrets syndrome?

how does a person know if they have turrets syndrome and where can they find help for it?

Well, someone is considered to have tourettes syndrome when they suffer from motor or/and vocal tics for at least 12 months. Uncontrollable movements are defined as motor tics and vocal disruptions by vocal tics. These vocal tics can be also followed by swearing or calling names (for example racial). 12 months are taken as a boarder because there are also tics that are called transient, which appear and then after some time disappear.

About who to turn to…well, any MD should be able to diagnose it. Also, pediatricians, psychiatrists, neurologist, geneticists, psychologists and mental health therapists.

It is usually found in children or teenagers. Do you think you may have it?

I think I have something wrong with me. I have had these tics for many years now and they seem to be getting worse. What should I do?

Guest wrote:

I think I have something wrong with me. I have had these tics for many years now and they seem to be getting worse. What should I do?

Can you explain what kind of tics you’re experiencing? When do they usually happen? Can you control them?

Finding a right doctor who has an experience in Tourettes is actually very hard. Like Miia said above, any MD and neurologists, psychiatrists, pediatricians, developmental pediatricians, and psychologists should be able to diagnose it but not so many of them have the skills in dealing with Tourette’s. Some people may have more luck with neurologists while others can run into psychiatrists who know how to treat Tourett’s.

You may even try to find a movement disorder specialists but it wouldn’t be so wise to be treated with a doctor who doesn’t have much experience in Tourette’s. This can be just a waist of time for you. You should ask questions about doctors who are known to have experience and success.

If you chose a doctor who is teaching and has residents in his group, you may very well decide to see one of the residents, which means you will be probably under the main doctor’s surveillance.
The goal of treating Tourettes syndrome is not to eliminate the tics because there is no cure for this disorder. However, it is manageable to suppress tics and learn a person with the disorder to cope with their tics and function like any other individual.
When was the first time you developed tics? How old were you then?

I saw a string in this forum about tourette's disorder. For the past 2 years I have wondered if I have this disorder. Possible someone can let me know if these symptoms relate to it:

-involuntary body movements (head jerking)
-mostly obscenities, but also non obscene phrases
-usually what triggers is thinking about previous occasions where something didn't feel comfortable, but not limited to that. Sometimes obscenities are said for no reason.

I do not say obscenities in my day to day speech, that's why this is a little alarming to me. Also, I do have stresses that I deal with as an entrepreneur.

When I try to work on this, I can suppress the vocal part of my problems, but I can't seem to avoid the involuntary head movements.

Are these indeed symptoms of tourette's or could this just be some other personal issue that I have? I appreciate your comments![/list]

Russ wrote:

I saw a string in this forum about tourette's disorder. For the past 2 years I have wondered if I have this disorder. Possible someone can let me know if these symptoms relate to it: -involuntary body movements (head jerking) -mostly obscenities, but also non obscene phrases -usually what triggers is thinking about previous occasions where something didn't feel comfortable, but not limited to that. Sometimes obscenities are said for no reason. I do not say obscenities in my day to day speech, that's why this is a little alarming to me. Also, I do have stresses that I deal with as an entrepreneur. When I try to work on this, I can suppress the vocal part of my problems, but I can't seem to avoid the involuntary head movements. Are these indeed symptoms of tourette's or could this just be some other personal issue that I have? I appreciate your comments![/list]

Personally, I think it is some sort of personal issue because I have it too. I actually thought I was the only one who had that weird moments when I would think of something embarrassing that happened for example two years ago or whenever. I don’t say obscenities, I hum or say something stupid that I am not aware of, it just happens, then I laugh at myself. I was always thinking about this as personal insecurity about the moments that I think I turned out to be funny or silly.

How often does it happen to you? It doesn’t happen to me in public, it happens when I am alone and it last for a second or so. I also have those movements but they started appearing when I was smoking marijuana when I was younger and when I was having small paranoid attacks. I think I carry those movements since that time.

I don’t think this is Tourette’s, at least not in my case. Tourettes are involuntary movements that happen without a cause and to be diagnosed as tourette’s, they need to start happening almost every day for a year (I think).

This happens to me on a daily basis.

I have the same problem where I will grunt or say something weird (at times with obscenties). It was a bit humurous at first, but it's been concerning me the past several months.

I don't normally do this in public, but it will translate to head movements if I don't say anything out loud.

I'm actually scheduled to discuss this with my doctor. If I find anything that is usefule, I will update this forum.

Well, if it happens every day, then you should definitely see a doctor.

Please, let me know what s/he said! I hear it is really hard to find a doc who specialized in turretts and that although any doc should be able to diagnose it, not every would be able to treat it.

I would love to hear from you!

Take care
Simone

One question if you have turrets and you dont know any swear words do you still yell them out?

Guest wrote:

One question if you have turrets and you dont know any swear words do you still yell them out?

Even three-year olds can swear!