Fantas-tic

What if you had a so-called “normal” life, but there were a few things that challenged your daily routine? In Disease class, we have been learning about various conditions that can alter the way people live and experience life. In the second unit of this term, we have been mainly focusing on mental disorders and the DSM-V - Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Fifth Edition. The DSM-V contains lots of information about many categorized mental disorders. You can find just about any recognized disorder in this large manual. Each student chose a mental disorder to study and present as an action project - I chose Tourette Syndrome. What you are about to read is some basic information about it, what it would be like to have it, a quote from a professional, a social experiment, some math, and a flier. I hope it brings you closer to understanding this unique and complex condition.

Meet Gregory McFlutter, he is an 11 year-old boy who is diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome. Tourette Syndrome is a Tic disorder that is categorized as a Compulsive disorder in the DSM-V that takes place in children and teenagers. With Tourette Syndrome, Gregory has at least two motor tics and one vocal tic (What is Tourette). Tics are strange habits people with Tourette Syndrome do, but don’t want to. They are involuntary. These tics would include strange and sudden movements, useless actions that are repeated daily, and making weird sounds with your mouth. Before any of these happen, Gregory tries to fight that uncomfortable and physical urge, that takes place anywhere on the body, but fails and the tic happens again. A good example of what a tic would looks like is jerking your head quickly upwards and making a clicking sound with your tongue, or odd eye movements and hand gestures. People with Tourette Syndrome, like Gregory, feel frustrated, annoyed, and irritated due to the fact that these tics happen unexpectedly and they have little control over them. Luckily, Tourette Syndrome is mostly not always permanent, however, it can take a while to go away. In order to be diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome, a person must have a vocal or phonic tic for one year (Tourette Syndrome). Most times, tics do not persist into adulthood. Gregory has to live with his tics until his body, hopefully, outgrows them. Tourette Syndrome is no fun...especially for a child.

To support my case, Linda, a mother of a son who had Tourette Syndrome, says, “He went from being a straight A student to not passing classes in middle and high school. Treatments were trial and error. Over 4 years we tried medication, which was a negative experience, and nutrition and diets, with no change. We also tried neuro-feedback which was helpful for a short time, but with no lasting improvement.” (Real Stories From People With Tourette Syndrome)

As far as we know, Tourette Syndrome may originate from some weird functions in the brain that should not be there, such as misfiring neurotransmitters in the frontal lobe. Tourette Syndrome is still a bit of a mystery as to how it starts and what, exactly, is happening.


What you see down below is a lesson plan template of what happened in the video, the materials that were needed, and the assumed brainwaves my classmates were using from 0-10 minutes. Below that is a graph graphing the Hz of those brainwaves from 0-10 minutes and are calculated with the piecewise function.

Illustrated by "SN"

Illustrated by "SN"
This is a flier I made that provides two pieces of statistical evidence on Tourette Syndrome, three recommendations to support people living with it, and a myth about it that is dispelled.

"www.canva.com"
As you just read, diseases can be disruptive and harmful in many ways, deeply affecting one’s everyday life, mentally and/or physically. In the case of Gregory, Tourette Syndrome affects his everyday life by causing frequent disruptions, embarrassment, and, often times, muscular aches and pains from severe tic’ing. Even though Tourette Syndrome is, relatively, harmless and goes away with time, it is difficult to comprehend what a person with TS goes through on a daily basis. Not having control over your own body is frustrating. There is no cure for Tourette Syndrome yet, however, there are treatments available which can help lessen tics - such as, medication, behavioral therapy, and Deep Brain Stimulation. If you, a friend, or family member has Tourette Syndrome, it is important to educate yourself to dispel any myths. People with TS need physical and emotional support. It is important to treat them as you would anyone else. If you interact with a person who is experiencing tics, just continue speaking with them as if they aren’t tic’ing.

Citations

“Please Update Your Browser.” Amazingly Simple Graphic Design Software – Canva, www.canva.com/.

“CBIT, HRT, Habit Reversal Therapy, Behavior Therapy.” Tourette Association of America, tourette.org/research-medical/cbit-overview/.

“Debunking Myths and Misconceptions.” Tourette Association of America, tourette.org/blogs/about-tourette/debunking-myths-misconceptions/.

“DSM-V.” Google, Google, drive.google.com/file/d/1vZChQ51uXVf1MpvVzJ6xjKv739-HeQ4v/view.

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