I was diagnosed with Tourettes Syndrome 11 years ago and have since learned a lot about it and other mental disorders.I have also learned to not judge anyone by something they can't control,and I've learned that many people don't understand it and discriminate against me for having it,especially the teachers.Does anyone else on here have Tourettes or know someone who does?Please post your stories here(Yes I got the idea for this thread from the Aspergers thread)Also post here if you have any questions about Tourettes
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Tourettes Syndrome
- Thread starter trader
- Start date
To be honest, I was an ignorant bastard, concerning mental disorders, before my AP Psychology course. Ever since completing the course, I've learned that such disorders aren't something to be stigmatized, but treated with the care and funding that we give to other "big" afflictions such as breast cancer and diabetes.
I always thought I had a mild case of OCD but whatever... you know?
Fuck society and fuck everyone around you if they don't accept you for who you are.
Fuck society and fuck everyone around you if they don't accept you for who you are.
Yah, I have both Autism and Tourrette's...
For your teachers (if you are still in High School), bring up your 504 document (I think it's 504, it's the one that talks of your special needs, if you don't have one, you could probably talk to your counselor about getting one, so that way the teacher don't bug you about it). Basically, this document highlights the special conditions that must be taken when teaching you as a student.... although it may be called something different in another state.
Hmmmm... stories, I have lots of those =D.
I started ticking unconsciously in around 1st grade. It was then I got the 'clear throat' style of tick. I had that for about 4 to 5 years. Another tick I got was in 3rd grade. It was an 'mhm' tick... were I literally couldn't stop murmerring 'mhm'. Got over that one in about a month. Another tick that came up was in 6th grade - the neck jerk tick. I would jerk my neck back hard and eventually it got sore. I eventually stopped - but to this day, I won't do 'neck rolls' in my running stretch sequences for fear of starting over again.
I also take a medication to help control my Tourette's. I remember the first time I took it - in the middle of the day - me and my cousins were going to be going to Disneyland later on that day. However, this medicine made me sleepy. Really sleepy. I woke up about 6 hours later (still at home, they had left me there cuz I was sleeping). Another problem I have had with medication is accidentally overdosing twice (pharmacies keep deciding to change color, and it's not good with my forgetful mind already).
I've explained both Tourrette's and Autism to my peers, so they are pretty understanding, and as I grow older, it gets much, much more difficult to pinpoint the specific 'qualities' which are autistic or Tourrette's-like in me. I don't think if I was reanalyzed now, I would receive the diagnosis again.
For your teachers (if you are still in High School), bring up your 504 document (I think it's 504, it's the one that talks of your special needs, if you don't have one, you could probably talk to your counselor about getting one, so that way the teacher don't bug you about it). Basically, this document highlights the special conditions that must be taken when teaching you as a student.... although it may be called something different in another state.
Hmmmm... stories, I have lots of those =D.
I started ticking unconsciously in around 1st grade. It was then I got the 'clear throat' style of tick. I had that for about 4 to 5 years. Another tick I got was in 3rd grade. It was an 'mhm' tick... were I literally couldn't stop murmerring 'mhm'. Got over that one in about a month. Another tick that came up was in 6th grade - the neck jerk tick. I would jerk my neck back hard and eventually it got sore. I eventually stopped - but to this day, I won't do 'neck rolls' in my running stretch sequences for fear of starting over again.
I also take a medication to help control my Tourette's. I remember the first time I took it - in the middle of the day - me and my cousins were going to be going to Disneyland later on that day. However, this medicine made me sleepy. Really sleepy. I woke up about 6 hours later (still at home, they had left me there cuz I was sleeping). Another problem I have had with medication is accidentally overdosing twice (pharmacies keep deciding to change color, and it's not good with my forgetful mind already).
I've explained both Tourrette's and Autism to my peers, so they are pretty understanding, and as I grow older, it gets much, much more difficult to pinpoint the specific 'qualities' which are autistic or Tourrette's-like in me. I don't think if I was reanalyzed now, I would receive the diagnosis again.
I don't know anyone with Tourette's, but all my friends used to tell me that it involved people uncontrollably screaming profanities. I'm sad to say, my 16-year-old mind (this was 3 years back) believed that, until I watched the South Park episode about Tourettes, which informed me that Tourette's has a variety of "tics" (manifestations).
It sounds bad, but as soon as I read the tile I thought of someone cursing like crazy. I really don't know too much about it or anyone who has it. I think I may have OCD lol...so do my parents ~.~. I really don't think anyone should be discriminated against, especially for something they have no control over. What makes it worse is that people are labeled and treated differently are because of something they were born with/as which is pretty disgusting. Ie: Black, white, hispanic, handicapped (sometimes). Don't let anyone get you down. Embrace who you are and others will follow suit. I've always been pale and Irish...that will never change and people recognize be because I'm so pale lol.
Can I pull a bit of a sidebar?
No you don't and no you don't. "Mild" OCD doesn't exist. Liking stuff a certain way and having little quirks doesn't make you obsessive compulsive at all. I know this seems random and confrontational, but OCD is a serious condition and I hate to see people trivialize the disorder by claiming random preferences and repeated behaviors puts them on par with the dysfunctional.
Would you have a panic attack if you were forced out of a quirk?
Now back to your regularly scheduled neurotic disorder discussion. Basically I agree with everyone here. Tourettes is rather misunderstood, much to the disappointment of teenage boys watching YouTube everywhere.
Na, I disagree, it does make them OCD, but it makes them what I would call 'trivial' OCD. Kinda like how my Tourette's is kinda 'trivial', cept that when I stress out, It goes kinda berserk, so on tests I struggle a bit because of it. My Tourette's is in no way as extreme as some people's (one's who do physical harm or swear (lol, I'm glad my church doesn't like swearing)), but it's still Tourette's. It's just milder.
I do agree though that at this age, recognition can be a bit... 'skewed'. I mean, I show some of the traits an OCD person has, but I do not consider myself OCD, because I know that it isn't as... prevalent when compared to my Autism/Tourette's. One of the OCD-like traits I have is when I do something with my left hand, I have an urge to do it with the right. A balance sorta thing. However, as said, I think it is a bi-product of my Autism or Tourette's, and not OCD, although it could be. But having it be OCD would not change my life in any way.
I would like to say that these conditions usually come on three levels. The first, the unrecognizable mild type. The second, recognizable, but still able to deal with society. The third, prevents a person from dealing with society. Although they might have the first, I agree, it should not be compared with the third.
My Asperger's probably fits in the second category.
My Tourrette's probably fits in the second category, although leaning a bit towards the first.
Oddly enough, I've had ticks my entire life. An uncontrollable eye brow twitch, neck jerk, nose twitch. Hell, even once I had a tick where I'd stretch the muscles around the heart forcing pain around that area (I had to stop that one cold turkey because it got out of control). I haven't been diagnosed with anything though, and I've never had a verbal tick unless loudness counts as a tick.
I've been diagnosed with Asbergers but its so mild and I'm not on medication so I really don't care for it.
I've been diagnosed with Asbergers but its so mild and I'm not on medication so I really don't care for it.
That opinion disagrees with common diagnostic criteria for OCD. For something to be a disorder it has to be at least somewhat debilitating...
Yet what's stopping someone from trying to suppress or hide the negative effects? If they do this, it doesn't mean that they don't have the disorder, just that they have it and can suppress or hide certain parts of it. Of course it won't be easy, but what's to say that it's not at least possible?
I'm guessing I may have a mild obsessive-compulsive disorder too. I'm a clumsy person by nature, like missing or forgetting something, and so I started spending more time double checking. Because I sometimes miss something even after double checking, I began having the habit of doing triple, quadruple, and even quintuple checking, especially before I leave my house or turning in the test. Yikes.
Yah, that's what I think it is, somewhat debilitating... however, it doesn't have to be majorly debilitating. For example, someone who can't stop tapping a finger on their left hand when they are stressed (and they write with their right) still has Tourrette's though it is not debilitating. There is certain 'tics' which are very debilitating, and other which aren't, but when it comes down to it, they are all 'tics'. And they all have Tourrette's.
Something that might make it more obvious though, in terms of how to tell whether they are exaggerating or under-exaggerating is to observe them as a child. This isn't available for all situations, but if so, you can use their innocence to take an accurate reading of whether they have the condition or not.
Somehow, I'm beginning to think that I might have OCD (but I'm probably wrong.) I'm compulsively checking if I've locked my car & house doors (once, I checked up to 11 times) out of a fear that someone will rob me blind. Also, I've noticed that I'm what you would call a counter. I feel the need to incessantly count the number of random objects.
I think i may have like minor tourettes syndrome, i keep twitching my eye
my parents think im playing too many games (-.-) and say i need to use my eyedrops more. my useless doctor says so also
sometimes, i can supress it, but if i try to hold it in, i get like this explosion of eye twitches'
its really uncomfterable sometimes, if i tell my parents, they'll jsut tell me to stop playing games
and people notice it too, and it hurts a lot when they say "stop twitching" kinda embarrasing :X
my parents think im playing too many games (-.-) and say i need to use my eyedrops more. my useless doctor says so also
sometimes, i can supress it, but if i try to hold it in, i get like this explosion of eye twitches'
its really uncomfterable sometimes, if i tell my parents, they'll jsut tell me to stop playing games
and people notice it too, and it hurts a lot when they say "stop twitching" kinda embarrasing :X
My symptoms have been present since middle school. Maybe I'm overreacting, but one can never be too sure.
You guys who are just now discovering your tourettes and ocd are applying real serious conditions to rather normal behavior. Just because you have a quirk doesn't mean you have tourettes and just because you count things doesn't mean you have ocd. It's this kind of self diagnosis that takes away from those that actually have serious mental issues. "Mild" ocd is just regular individual attributes. People have nervous twitches or odd quirks that they do. Like people get uncomfortable when they don't have some part of their body crossed or interlocked while sitting. It's not a mental disorder it's a comforting and calming technique.
I know a kid who has Tourettes Syndrome, he would blink really fast and stuff. He had it in middle school but by high school you wouldn't know it unless you knew him back in middle school. Other than that I don't know anybody. I used to think it was screaming profanities as well because of Tourettes Guy, South Park and people telling me that. I was young and stupid(er). :@
I think I am Manic/Depressive though. I keep doing things where I get really excited about something and put a lot of time and effort to do something, then I get bored/upset/etc with it and quit. I have done it with lots of things in my life.
I was pretty ignorant about disorders and such as well until AP Psych. I thought Scitzophrenia was multiple personalities. ~__~ lol.
I think I am Manic/Depressive though. I keep doing things where I get really excited about something and put a lot of time and effort to do something, then I get bored/upset/etc with it and quit. I have done it with lots of things in my life.
I was pretty ignorant about disorders and such as well until AP Psych. I thought Scitzophrenia was multiple personalities. ~__~ lol.
Yes, I agree, a few minor quirks everyone has, but if they start having major quirks, or uncontrollable quirks (Tourrette's is where it is almost uncontrollable, and happens for long periods of time), then yah, it's probably something more.
This is why you should never self-diagnose.
I do have a 504,but my teachers are hypocrites.If my tics are bothering me,I can't leave the room,but if they're bothering THEM,I automatically have to leave the room.My tics were originally making a noise like a lamb,but now I yelp,hit my legs,twitch my face(not that bad of one I guess),kick,scream,cuss,and sometimes hit other people which I feel really bad about.My peers that know me usually just ignore them and defend me if anyone says anything,but there are still jerks that try to get me to cuss out the teacher or try to give me candy to make me yelp(to clarify,not all candy increases the unpleasantness of my tics,just chocolate).
My medication makes me sleepy also.If I take all of it(which I usually do),I sleep from ten at night till two in the afternoon.Sixteen hours of sleep a day(on weekends,less on school days).My doctor wants me to consider DBS,but I don't know how I'd be without my tics after this long of a time having them.Has anyone here had DBS with success(or failure)?