Tourette's syndrome is a type of inherited neurological disorder. Tourette's syndrome manifests itself in the presence of numerous motor and verbal tics. The sick themselves, who spit, jump, shout or curse against their will, call him a cursed disease. They are treated as ill-mannered or even crazy people.
Tourette syndrome was first described in 1885 by the French neurologist Georges Gilles de la Tourette and is named after him. This disorder is most often revealedtowards the end of preschool ageorat the beginning of school education.
The disease ismay run in families , but the underlying genetic alteration is unknown so far. Epidemiological studies show that Tourette's syndrome occurs three to four timesmore often in boys than in girls , and it affects an average of 4.3 people per 10,000. In the course of the disease, there areperiods of remission(disappearance of the disease symptoms), but the disease usually accompanies the patient for the rest of his life.
Tourette syndrome is diagnosed when tics persistfor more than a year . Fortunately, after puberty, they tend tocalm downand in about 80 percent. adults, their severity or intensity decreases.
Tourette's syndrome - symptoms
This tic disease usually appears in children between2. and 15 years of age , although statistically the most cases areat the age of 7 . Due to the specificity of the symptoms, the parents usually do not see the disease in their child's actions, and attribute unusual behavior to the developmental period and the waywardness.
A characteristic feature of the Gilles de la Tourette ensemble is the simultaneous presence ofmotor and vocal tics . The former are fast, non-rhythmic, recurring involuntary movements - simple or complex. Simple ( tongue sticking out, eyelid blinking ) involve contraction of one muscle group. Complex ones involve more muscle groups, create a sequence of movements, and can appear deliberate ( spitting, touching the other person ). Sometimes they take the form ofobscene gesturesor self-aggressive behavior (e.g. biting the tongue).
If anyone has heard anything about Tourette's band, they know itmainly withswearinginvoluntarily, because this vocal tic is the most talked about. Meanwhile, it occurs only in some patients. Therefore, the image of the disease cannot be reduced to swearing. Its symptom is always motor tics, while the vocal tics are a whole range - from simple ones likegrunting, shouting , to complex ones (they occur in 14-20% of patients), consisting in saying words and whole sentences . This group includes swearing, using profanity ( coprolalia ), but also repeating sentences and words heard from other people ( echolalia ) or your own statements ( palilalia ).
Tourette's syndrome - treatment
The disease isincurable , but medicine helps to function with it through pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy and behavioral therapy.
Fighting the tics is not easy, because they relieve tension, but it is possible. Treatment begins withparent and child psychoeducationproviding information about the disease and its course, and encouraging people to ignore its symptoms.
Psychotherapy for a patient with Tourette's syndrome focuses mainly on learning to control tics and changing abnormal behavior into more socially acceptable forms of behavior.
Paying attention to tics only makes them worse. Then behavioral methods are activated, the main purpose of which is to increase the control of the tics. The patient is taught how to delay their execution or replace them with other activities or words that are socially acceptable or less visible. Only when these methods prove ineffective and the disease impairs normal functioning, drugs are used . However, they do not remove the cause of the disease, they only reduce its symptoms.
In the case of severe tics, it is recommended to use:
- preparations from the group of neuroleptics,
- receptor blockers,
- calcium channel blockers,
- clonidines,
- antidepressants.
Some centers in the treatment of Tourette's syndrome usethe EEG Biofeedback methodcombining elements of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy. In our country, advice can be obtained from the Polish Society of Tourette Syndrome.
ImportantGilles de la Tourette's team rarely performs solo
90 percent in cases, Tourette's syndrome is associated with another condition. Most often it is ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), followed by obsessive-compulsive disorder (obsessive compulsive disorder).
