Tourette Syndrome

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Genetics

See, Play and Learn

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Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Teenagers
• Adults
• Patient Handouts

Summary

If you have Tourette syndrome, you make unusual movements or sounds, called tics. You have little or no control over them. Common tics are throat-clearing and blinking. You may repeat words, spin, or, rarely, blurt out swear words.

Tourette syndrome is a disorder of the nervous system. It often occurs with other problems, such as:

• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Anxiety
• Depression

The cause of Tourette syndrome is unknown. It is more common in boys than girls. The tics usually start in childhood and may be worst in the early teens. Many people eventually outgrow them.

No treatment is needed unless the tics interfere with everyday life. Excitement or worry can make tics worse. Calm, focused activities may make them better. Medicines and talk therapy may also help.

NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Start Here

• Facts about Tourette Syndrome (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Tourette Syndrome (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

Diagnosis and Tests

• Diagnosing Tic Disorders (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Tourette Syndrome (TS): Treatments (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

Living With

• 8 Ways to Deal with Ticcing in Public (Tourette Association of America) Also in Spanish
• Exercise, Sports and Tourette Syndrome (Tourette Association of America)
• Tourette Syndrome: Help Stop Bullying (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Risk Factors and Causes for Tourette Syndrome (TS) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• Stuttering and Tourette's Syndrome (Stuttering Foundation of America) Also in Spanish
• Tourette Syndrome (TS): Other Concerns and Conditions (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

Genetics

• Tourette syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Statistics and Research

• Tourette Syndrome (TS): Data and Statistics (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Tourette Syndrome (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Convergent imaging-transcriptomic evidence for disturbed iron homeostasis in Gilles de la...
• Article: Treatment of Tourette syndrome by acupuncture combined with Chinese medicine based...
• Article: Study protocol: A cross-sectional survey of clinicians to identify barriers to...
• Tourette Syndrome -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Also in Spanish

Children

• Kids' Quest: Tourette (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Tics and Tourette Syndrome (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Tics, Tourette Syndrome, and OCD (American Academy of Pediatrics)
• Tourette Syndrome (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Teenagers

• Tourette Syndrome (Nemours Foundation)

Adults

• Later in Life (Tourette Association of America)

Patient Handouts

• Tourette syndrome (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish