Gilles de la Tourette syndrome: Beware of the caricature!

Sgt “It is defined by the association of at least two motor tics and one vocal tic that lasts for more than one year,” Neurologist Andreas Hartmann describes. Photographee.eu/Photographee.eu – Stock.adobe.com

From a transient tic to this syndrome defined by the association of two motor tics and a vocal tic, there is a continuum. Several solutions can treat this disorder.

These are the most extreme cases of tics, affecting 0.5 to 1% of French people. Described in xix^H 20th century by the French neuropsychologist Gilles de la Tourette, the syndrome of the same name is often associated with one or more psychological disorders (ADHD, OCD, autism, etc.). But be wary of the caricatures that generally accompany Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome, or TS! “Not all of them are serious. Coprolalia (insults) or copropraxis (obscene gestures) are not spontaneous.”explains Dr^s Andreas Hartmann, Neurologist (SGT Reference Center in Petit-Salpetriere, Paris).

“Solutions Board”

From transient tics to TS, there is actually a continuum. Far from always being as serious and obstructive as we think we are, Sergeant “It is defined by the association of at least two motor tics and two vocal tics that last for more than one year. A person who shrugs his shoulders slightly, blinks his eyes, and clears his throat for at least twelve months has TS.”In 75% of cases, the disease disappears spontaneously in adulthood, without…

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