Tourette Syndrome and "Life's A Twitch!" ®
Life's a Twitch ® is a website based on Tourette Syndrome (also called Tourette's Syndrome, Tourette's Disorder, or TS) and associated disorders from the study and clinical work of B. Duncan McKinlay, Ph.D., C.Psych., an Ontario, Canada Psychologist registered to work with children and adolescents in the areas of clinical and school psychology. Dr. McKinlay directs "The Brake Shop", an award-winning and nationally recognized clinic he created for youth with Tourette Syndrome & associated conditions at the Child & Parent Resource Institute (CPRI) in London, Ontario, Canada.
Dr. McKinlay (or Dr. Dunc.) himself has Tourette Syndrome, and is committed (devoted, that is!!) to improving the quality of life in people with Tourette and a variety of other disorders. His numerous and varied presentations and writings span a number of disorders and conditions, including: Tourette Syndrome, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, rage, sensory integration dysfunction, Learning Disabilities, Nonverbal Learning Disorder, depression, and anxiety.
Through empathy, good humour, research, and both considerable personal and professional experience, Dr. McKinlay teaches acceptance of Tourette Syndrome and associated disorders in the world and in ourselves.
Tourette Syndrome
Tourette Syndrome/Tourette's Syndrome/Tourette's Disorder/TS is a disorder (not an illness) influenced by neurological, psychological, and sociological factors. It is characterized by tics - sudden, rapid, recurrent nonrhythmic movements or noises that occur repeatedly in the same way. The symptoms include: both multiple motor tics and one or more phonic tics (which may or may not include vocalizations) present at some time during the disorder although not necessarily simultaneously; tics occur many times a day (usually in bouts) nearly every day or intermittently throughout a span of more than one year. Periodic changes are expected in the number, frequency, type and location of the tics; waxing and waning of the severity of the tics is also common. Symptoms can sometimes disappear for weeks or months at a time.
Thinking of tics in Tourette Syndrome as "involuntary" is sometimes confusing since it is known that most people with Tourette do have some control over their symptoms; what is truly "involuntary" is the feeling of discomfort or "premonitory urge" which the tics serve to satiate. This is analogous to a person's desire to scratch a mosquito bite (over which one has imperfect control) to alleviate an itch sensation (over which one has no control). What is also not often recognized is that the control, which can be exercised anywhere from seconds to hours at a time, may merely postpone more severe outbursts of symptoms. People with Tourette Syndrome may seek a secluded spot to release their symptoms after delaying them in school or at work. Typically, tics increase as a result of tension or stress, and decrease with relaxation or concentration on an absorbing task.
Please come in my friend, and feel at home in "Dr. Dunc's" website on Tourette Syndrome and associated disorders.