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Tourette Syndrome (also Tourette's syndrome, Tourette's or TS) is an Inherited Neurological disorder with onset in childhood, characterized by the presence of motor and phonic Tic s. Behavenet. Tourette's disorder . Accessed 10 Mar 2005. Tourette's is a misunderstood and stigmatizing condition, often mentioned in the popular media; there are '''sociological and cultural aspects''' of living with Tourette syndrome, including legal, advocacy and health insurance issues, awareness of notable individuals with TS, and treatment of TS in the media and popular culture. Tourette syndrome was once considered a rare and bizarre of Tic Disorder s, which includes transient and chronic tics.Black, KJ. Tourette Syndrome and Other Tic Disorders. ''eMedicine'' (March 22, 2006). Accessed 27 June 2006.Evidente, GH. "Is it a tic or Tourette's? Clues for differentiating simple from more complex tic disorders." ''PostGraduate Medicine Online.'' October 2000 108:5. Accessed 28 October 2006. With the increased knowledge of the full range of severity of Tourette syndrome—including milder cases—it has shifted from a condition only recognized in its most severe and impairing forms, to being recognized as a condition which is often mild, and which may be associated with some advantages and disadvantages. LEGAL AND INSURANCE ISSUES There is no reason to suspect that persons with Tourette's have diminished capacity with respect to consent to treatment, participation in research, or making a will. However, support from experienced advocates can be helpful in pursuing legal rights under US federal legislation which protects some rights of individuals with TS: examples include the .Tourette Syndrome Association. Living with TS:Adult Challenges . Accessed 04 January 2007. A review of all cases tried in state and federal courts between 1985 and 2003 (civil rights, criminal, education, family, labor, and social security) found that TS was implicated in a minuscule number of cases nationwide: only about 150 cases, 21 of which were criminal, over 18 years. The authors concluded that Tourette syndrome "rarely leads to criminal behavior, but patients with TS who have behavioral comorbidities are at risk of being involved with the legal system."Jankovic J, Kwak C, Frankoff R. Tourette's syndrome and the law. ''J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci.'' 2006 Winter;18(1):86–95. PMID 16525075 People diagnosed with Tourette syndrome may have difficulty obtaining new . Accessed 4 January 2007. is a factor to be considered in the diagnostic process because a TS diagnosis can result in future denial of medical coverage. If a diagnosis is not needed for school or medication processes, some families may choose to forego a formal, written diagnosis. LATENT ADVANTAGES '' in 1747, and was a prolific writer, poet, and critic. ]] Discussions with adults who have Tourette syndrome reveal that not everyone wants treatment or a "cure", especially if that means they may "lose" something else in the process. Some believe that there may even be latent advantages associated with the Genetic vulnerability.Leckman JF, Cohen DJ. ''Tourette's Syndrome—Tics, Obsessions, Compulsions: Developmental Psychopathology and Clinical Care.'' John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1999, p. 408. Research supports some advantages associated with Tourette syndrome. A .Denckla MB. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: the childhood co-morbidity that most influences the disability burden in Tourette syndrome. ''Adv Neurol.'' 2006;99:17–21. PMID 16536349 In a study of eight children, ages 8–17, those with Tourette syndrome were found to be much quicker at processing certain mental grammar skills than children without the condition. The abnormalities that lead to tics may also lead to "other rapid behaviors, including the cognitive processing of rule-governed forms in language and other types of procedural knowledge".Walenski M, Mostofsky SH, Ullman MT. Speeded processing of grammar and tool knowledge in Tourette's syndrome. ''Neuropsychologia'' 2007;45(11):2447–2460. The investigator, Michael Ullman, PhD, said, "These children were particularly fast, as well as largely accurate, in certain language tasks. This tells us that their cognitive processing may be altered in ways we have only begun to explore, and moreover in a manner that may provide them with performance that is actually enhanced compared {Link without Title} that of typically-developing children".1 NOTABLE INDIVIDUALS There are many individuals with Tourette's, living and deceased, recognized in their fields, or for whom Obsessive-compulsive tendencies associated with Tourette's may have helped fuel their success. An example of a person who may have used obsessive-compulsive traits to advantage is Dr Samuel Johnson , lexicographer, who had Tourette syndrome as evidenced by the writings of James Boswell .Tourette Syndrome Association. Samuel Johnson. Accessed 10 February 2005. Johnson wrote '' A Dictionary Of The English Language '' in 1747, and was a prolific writer, poet, and critic. is an award-winning teacher and author.VanderWyk & Burnham Authors. [http://www.vandb.com/authorcohen.html Brad Cohen]. Accessed 3 June 2006. Tourette Syndrome Association. Front of the Class wins independent publisher award. Accessed 3 June 2006. Recognized athletes and figures in the sports world diagnosed with Tourette syndrome include , son of racing legend Rusty Wallace .NASCAR.com (July 26, 2006). Q&A: Kenny Wallace/Steve Wallace. Retrieved on July 31, 2006. Recognized musicians with Tourette syndrome include describes the case of a drummer with TS, who uses his tics to give him a certain 'flair' or 'special sound' to his drumming.Sacks O. '' The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat : And Other Clinical Tales''. Touchstone, New York, 1998. Oliver Sacks uses the '' (December 14, 2006). Retrieved on December 19, 2006. Speculation about notable individuals Some authors have speculated that published an editorial disputing Simkin's claim,Sacks O. Tourette's syndrome and creativity. ''BMJ.'' 1992 Dec 19-26;305(6868):1515–6. PMID 1286364 and the Tourette Syndrome Association pointed out the speculative nature of this information.Tourette Syndrome Association:[http://web.archive.org/web/20020814021030/http://www.tsa-usa.org/what_is/Mozart.html Did Mozart really have TS?] Accessed online 14 Aug 2002. No Tourette's syndrome expert or organization has voiced concurrence that there is credible evidence to conclude that Mozart had Tourette's. One TS specialist stated that, "although some web sites list Mozart as an individual who had Tourette's and/or OCD, it's not clear from the descriptions of his behavior that he actually had either."SchoolBehavior.com. Famous People with Tourette's syndrome and/or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Accessed on May 20, 2006 Comedian . Tics can be caused by other disorders, including Autism Spectrum Disorder s such as Asperger's. Mejia NI, Jankovic J. Secondary tics and tourettism. ''Rev Bras Psiquiatr''. 2005;27(1):11-7. PMID 15867978 It is unclear if Aykroyd received the diagnoses of TS or AS from a medical source, whether he was speaking in his role as a comic, or whether the diagnoses were self-made. It was an audio interview, so the audience could not see Aykroyd's facial expressions, but the interviewer indicated uncertainty about whether Aykroyd was kidding. REFERENCES IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY By sensationalizing the symptoms of Tourette's, the video media—notably the Internet, movies and television—are overwhelmingly responsible for warped perceptions about people with Tourette's, according to the '''', January 11 , 2006 . Accessed 16 January 2006 . Several documentaries have attempted, with varying levels of success,Guldberg, Helene. Stop celebrating Tourette's. ''. PBS. Twitch and Shout Press Release (PDF). Accessed 8 May 2006. A 2007 British documentary, ''Tourette De France'', followed a group of teenagers with Tourette's on a trip to Paris accompanied by 2007 . A movie released on video, '''s award-winning detective novel, Motherless Brooklyn . The entertainment industry often depicts those with TS as being social misfits whose only tic is , radio show host of NPR's '' A Prairie Home Companion '', produced a segment in 2006, titled "Broadway Tourette's", about segregating people with stereotypical Tourette's from other passengers on a cruise ship, prompting a press release from the Tourette Syndrome Association.Tourette Syndrome Association. Letter of response to Garrison Keillor radio show. Accessed 8 May 2006. Many television shows have addressed the topic of Tourette's, but few have advanced understanding of Tourette's. A 1981 episode of the television show, '''', '' The Practice '' and '' 7th Heaven ''. However, even more television and film productions are not accurate representations of persons with Tourette's, and many of them have used misconceptions about coprolalia as a plot device, or portrayed people with Tourette's as being dangerously out of control. For example, in an episode of '''', '' Wedding Crashers '', '' The Wedding Singer '', '' The West Wing '' and '' What About Bob ''. In '' Matchstick Men '', the protagonist ( Nicolas Cage ) is a neurotic con artist with Tourette's and OCD. IMDb.com. Matchstick Men. Accessed 9 May 2006. Singer '' (August 24, 2006). His condition was reported to have been aggravated by drug use.Parr, Charlotte. BB's Tourette lad has "fried his mind". Accessed 22 May 2006. Some viewers expressed concern that the show had exploited Tourette's, while others felt it was educational.Allen, Liam. BB Pete: Exploitation or education? ''BBC News'' (August 18, 2006). References in the music industry The UK , October 21, 2005. SEE ALSO NOTES EXTERNAL LINKS
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