Tourette Syndrome: Week of 11/3/14

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Prompt: Describe the topic that you learned about in your Non-fiction piece. Can you relate what you've learned about to your own life?

This week, I decided to branch out a little bit. I wanted to try something new. So, I decided to read a Non-fiction piece of writing. Normally, I don't really go for Non-fiction pieces. I find them very boring to read. I would much rather lose myself in Fantasy or Fiction; genres that bring more life and interest to myself. So, I decided to pick a topic I knew nothing about. Maybe because I had no knowledge on the subject, I would find it more interesting to learn about. This showed to be true, because I learned so much factual information on Tourette Syndrome. I'm guessing very few people in our school know about Tourette Syndrome as well! It will be interesting if I start talking to someone about it, or someone reads my blog! I would love to know if they were interested in the topic because they knew nothing about it! After reading this book, I definitely think I'm going to start reading more Non-fiction. Learning about new topics and important figures and such, will really broaden my horizons to new knowledge! I've never heard of Tourette Syndrome before, and now, I can actually have an educated conversation about it! I hope to gain so much more insight on anything that I can read about, that I didn't previously know!

I've learned a lot about Tourette Syndrome through reading Tourette Syndrome By: Marlene Targ Brill. Tourette Syndrome is a condition where a person will constantly repeat a certain movement or sound, which they have no control over. The physical disorder is estimated to affect 100,000 people in the U.S. alone. The repeated sounds and movements the people make, are referred to as Tics. Tics come suddenly, and quickly, at very irregular and inappropriate times. They can be simple or complex; motor or vocal. Though they will repeat for very long periods of time. Some tics include eye blinking, shoulder shrugging, muscle tensing, grunting, sniffing, coughing, belching, barking, scratching, smelling objects, repeating others actions and words, and many more. The main trigger of a tic, is emotion. When a person with Tourette Syndrome gets very angry, or excited, or upset, the tics will begin to occur. Currently, there is no real diagnosis. Dr. Gille de la Tourette, believed that it just ran in the family. in 1960, people believed that it was a mental illness that people were born with. Even though the cause is unclear, it is definitely not contagious. To control Tourette Syndrome, you can take medication. Most parents of kids with the condition tend to opt for something different, but it's an option. Non-medication options are going on a diet. Making sure you get all of your vitamins and nutrients. Even going to therapy or getting surgery are possibilities. That's just the basics I learned about Tourette Syndrome, and it was actually much more intriguing than I originally thought it would be!

What I've learned about Tourette Syndrome can definitely relate to my own life. I learned that OCD (Obsessive Compulsion Disorder) though is not the same as Tourette Syndrome, shares a similar behavior pattern. I have never been diagnosed by a doctor as having OCD, but I can tell I have a mild form of it (to say the least). I always want everything to be perfect. I want perfect grades, I want to be perfectly organized. I'm obsessed with just being on track and, well, perfect (even if I don't always end up "on track"). What takes place of the tic, in the context of OCD is compulsion. I will randomly have the urge to organize my room, or redo an assignment. This is because I'll be stressed out about the un-organization. Then I will feel relief, but go back to the need for perfection. This is like how Tourette Syndrome works. You start off with a trigger (most likely something to cause you to feel great emotion) and then you get the tic. You start uncontrollably barking or scratching, or whatever your tic brings. Then, you are able to feel relief, but the cycle continues. So, I guess you can say I can kind of relate to Tourette Syndrome. I go through a similar "cycle" just with OCD. It's very interesting the the two disorders actually relate to each other! I found out that I have a connection to Tourette Syndrome, and I'd never even heard about it before this week!