Tourette’s Awareness Day

This Sunday (7 June) is Tourette’s Awareness Day, which is a day to raise understanding of Tourette Syndrome (TS). One of Enjoy Leisure’s Health and Wellbeing Advisors, Rab Ferguson, is sharing some information he often uses when explaining the condition.

• It is estimated that 1 in 100 people are born with TS, although many of these people will never be diagnosed as it’s likely they will have tics so mild that they may not even be aware of them.
• Tourette Syndrome usually begins in childhood and affects people of all backgrounds
• Tics are the main component of TS. These are involuntary movements and verbal sounds, words and phrases which are not a reflection of that person’s thoughts, feelings, or an insight into their inner world.
• Tics can be triggered by anything at all. Stress, anxiety, excitement and sensory overload are common triggers.
• People with TS can sometimes suppress tics for a short period of time but this cannot be maintained as it takes a huge amount of concentration. Suppressing is also exhausting, can be painful, and it interferes with the person’s ability to cope with everyday experiences.
• Everyone with TS is different and everyone has their own way of dealing with tics – it’s ok to ask how they would like you to react. Some people prefer you to ignore their tics, others prefer to deal with them by using humour.

If you would like to learn more about Tourette Syndrome you can visit: tourettescotland.org/