Beneath the Stripes:
Tourette's Syndrome from the Tiger’s View
by Darin M. Bush
A Beginning
Where to start? What can be said about Tourette’s syndrome
(TS) that has not already been said? How about: What the heck is TS, anyway? We
know a lot about what it is not, but what do we really know about what it is?
Doctors can show you photos of brains and statistical charts collected from TS
research. However, during my experiences trying to live with TS, no one has
ever photographed my brain. So, have I missed out by not getting my gray matter
transformed into Technicolor matter? I am just not sure.
However, I am sure of one thing. The experts on TS have mixed
feelings and mixed opinions on what the brain pictures mean, and what conclusions
go with which statistics. What do those of us living the research get out of
reading these reports and talking to these experts? Actually, we get a lot out
of this kind of research. But I think we sometimes take this kind of work too
seriously, and assign it too much value to our everyday lives.
So, let me go back to talking about living. I live with TS+.
Here, I mean the family of disorders co-morbid with TS, i.e.: genetically
related to TS. When I say “Tourette’s syndrome” (TS), I mean the tic disorder.
When I say “Tourette Spectrum Disorder” (TS+), I mean the experience of not
only tics, but also other neurological disorders, e.g.: Attention Deficit-
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Obsessive- Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
You can not facilitate a support group for TS+ without talking
about ADHD or OCD. For most people with TS+, tics are the least problem. Am I
the first person to say it this way? I don’t think so. “Beneath the Stripes” is
my way of talking about topics we might have missed, just in case. It’s a
start.
Questions? Suggestions? Begin by sending an email
to the Tourette Tiger
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