Duncan
McKinlay believes he has a special gift - high energy, originality,
spontaneity, openness, and intensity, a kind of "magnification
of self".
That
gift is Tourette's Syndrome.
Now
working towards an applied master's degree in educational psychology
at UW, McKinlay knew there was something different about him when he
was growing up, but it wasn't until his first year at university
that he received the diagnosis.
"It
was less a surprise than a relief", he recalls. A neurological
disorder which may be related to abnormal metabolism of the neurotransmitters
dopamine and serotonin, Tourette's Syndrome is characterized by
motor or vocal tics, and is associated with difficulties with impulse
control and obsessive-compulsive or attention deficit/hyperactivity
disorders.
"I've
focused my compulsivity on academics," McKinlay laughed.
He is especially interested in how people with TS perceive the disorder
- when they are diagnosed, how they respond.
"I
am interested in studying how the interpretations of the disorder by
the afflicted individual and his/her family lead to helpless patterns
versus constructive patterns of living, and how these patterns can affect
one's intrinsic motivation, self-esteem, expectations for the future,
and sense of control."
Although
McKinlay was initially wary of pursuing this line of research for fear
that he might be seen as too close to the subject to be sufficiently
objective, his professors encouraged him because of his empathy toward
people with the disorder. McKinlay plans to pursue a Ph.D. and
eventually practice in a clinical setting.
"If
I can help a kid circumnavigate some of those difficulties," he
says, referring to his own painful years as a teenager with undiagnosed
Tourette Syndrome, "it will be the most tangible legacy I can leave
in this world."
McKinlay
was recently nominated to serve as a member of the board of directors
of the Tourette Syndrome Foundation of Canada.
