31 Days of Tourette Syndrome Facts

Instructions

For those of you who don't know, May 15th through June 15 is Tourette's Syndrome Awareness Month. It is a time to educate others on the condition and support those with it. In the spirit of that, I will be posting a fact about Tourette's each day from the 15th of May, to June 15. Let's get started! ~~~~ Day Eleven: May 25, 2026: Most tics can be classified in one of two types: simple or complex. Simple tics are brief and involve only one muscle group or a single sound. These often go unnoticed. Some examples are blinking, grunting, or shrugging shoulders. Complex tics involve more than one muscle group or sound. They can be thought of as a bunch of tics combined. They are often more visible. Some examples are snapping and then grunting, saying words, or spinning. Day Ten: May 24, 2026: A common misconception is that people affected can stop their tics. This is not true. Tics can, on some occasions, be held back (suppressed) for short periods of time. However, this is mentally and physically draining, and it often worsens the tics later. And, just because someone can suppress tics for a short period does not mean they can hold them in another time. Day Nine: May 23, 2026: Though TS is a life-long condition, tics are not the same over the person’s lifetime. Some tics come and go, the frequency can decrease or increase, tics can get quieter or softer, etc. It is important to understand that just because someone’s tics decrease in severity does not mean their symptoms do not exist. Day Eight: May 22, 2026: Tourette’s is not the only tic disorder! Some of the more-common ones are Chronic Motor Tic Disorder, Chronic Vocal Tic Disorder, and Transient Tic Disorder. Chronic motor tic disorder is characterized by motor tics lasting at least a year. Chronic vocal/phonic tic disorder is like its motor tic counterpart, but with vocal tics. Transient tic disorder occurs when a child has both motor and vocal tics for more than four months, but less than a year. Day Seven: May 21, 2026: Though there is no “cure” for Tourettes, some treatments are available to lessen the symptoms. One non-medicinal treatment is Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT). This is a therapy which works on identifying the feeling before the tic and redirecting it. The goal is to make tic “blockers” or alternative movements to help reduce symptoms and make day-to-day life easier. It can help lessen tics almost entirely, or not at all. Everyone is different, so CBIT is not a one-size-fits-all. Day Six: May 20, 2026: Sometimes tics can be sounds or movements that the person cannot replicate. This is because tics are involuntary and are not chosen. Things like the pitch of vocal tics, the precision of the movement, or even the language of a tic can be impossible to do intentionally. Day Five: May 19, 2026: Two other types of vocal tics are echolalia and palilalia. These two types may sound a bit similar and present similarly, but are different. Echolalia is the involuntary repetition of someone else’s sounds, words, or phrases. Palilalia is the repetition of your own sounds, words, or phrases. It is common for people with palilalia to repeat the last word of their sentence multiple times with varying volume, pitch, or annunciation. These types of vocal tics have specialized types within them (e.g. mitigated echolalia). Day Four: May 18, 2026: There are many types of vocal tics. The most common one spoken about is coprolalia, which is when some of your vocal tics are obscene. But, contrary to what many believe, that is very rare with the condition! It is estimated that about 1 in 10 people with TS have coprolalia. Some other types include echolalia and palilalia. These two will be defined in the upcoming days! Day Three: May 17, 2026: Tourette's is much more common than most people think! On average, one in one-hundred people will have the condition! The condition is about three times more common in biological males than females, and women are much less likely to get diagnosed, or get diagnosed much later in life. Day Two: May 16, 2026: (this fact is a little short, but still cool!) Tourette's was first diagnosed in 1885 by Georges Gilles de la Tourette, a French neurologist. Day One: May 15, 2026: Since this is the first day, I will start with a simple fact. Tourette's Syndrome is a neurological disorder which causes tics. Tics are involuntary movements or sounds. Tourette's Syndrome is a tic disorder characterized by having both motor and vocal tics.