Tourette’s syndrome
Tourette’s syndrome
Tourette's syndrome is a condition affecting the brain and nerves. It causes involuntary movements and sounds known as tics.
Tics are quick, repeated muscle movements that make the body jerk suddenly or produce sudden sounds.
Common Symptoms
⚠️ This symptom list is for educational purposes. Having these symptoms does not mean you have this condition. See a doctor for proper diagnosis.
Medicines Commonly Used
⚠️ These medicines are commonly used for confirmed diagnoses of this condition. This is NOT a recommendation or prescription. Treatment must be determined by your doctor.
No medicines have been linked to this condition yet.
Causes
Causes
Doctors don't yet know exactly what causes Tourette's syndrome. It's also unclear why boys and men are more likely to be affected than girls and women. In some cases, tics do tend to run in families.
Diagnosis
There's no single test that can confirm Tourette's syndrome. To rule out other conditions, your doctor may suggest tests or scans, such as an MRI. A diagnosis can be made at any age.
Doctors usually diagnose Tourette's syndrome if you've had several movement and sound tics for at least a year, with the first symptoms appearing before the age of 18.
Your GP may refer you to specialists to confirm the diagnosis, such as a psychiatrist or a neurologist (a doctor who specialises in conditions of the brain and nervous system).
Getting a clear diagnosis can help you and the people around you understand your condition better, and it opens the way to proper treatment and support.
Treatment
Treating Tourette’s syndrome
There’s no cure for Tourette’s syndrome. Most children with tics do not need treatment for them. Tics can significantly improve or disappear altogether as patients move into their early 20s. However, some people find their tics continue or worsen in adulthood.
Treatment might be recommended to help you control your tics. There are treatment options available through the NHS.
Treating associated health conditions like OCD, depression or anxiety can help improve tics.
This includes different types of behavioural therapy available to help reduce tics like:
- habit reversal training – involves identifying the triggers that cause tics then find an another way of relieving the urge to tic
- exposure with response prevention (ERP) – trains you to control your urge to tic tolerating the feeling without doing the tic until the urge passes
If your tics are more severe and affect your daily activities, you might benefit from medicine to help treat your tics.
Medicines for Tourette’s syndrome don’t help everyone and can cause side effects.
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