Vocal Tic Disorders

Motor and Vocal Tic Disorders
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
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 Encyclopædia 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
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