f this disorder and influences the individual’s long-term adaptation (1996, p. 27). TS is so powerful that it can almost completely take control over the mind and body, in some cases forcing a person to withdraw from society.In the 1800s, Tourette’s was once thought to be a demonic possession (Kushner, 1999, p. 15). However, a French neurologist, Georges Gilles de la Tourette, was fascinated by these supposed “demons” in the person. In 1885, he studied and described to medical doctors the symptoms of this disease, in which he discovered caused those afflicted to exhibit uncontrollable “tics” (Fowler, 1996, p. 33). The disease later became known as Gilles de la Tourette syndrome.The symptoms of TS usually appear before the individual turns eighteen. When involuntary tics occur in a person for over a year, they are usually diagnosed with TS. However, this concept of “involuntary” tics may be hard to define operationally, since some patients experience their tics as having a volitional component—a capitulation to an internal urge for motor discharge accompanied by psychological tension and anxiety (Cohen, 1988, p. 19).Tourette syndrome is a complex disorder that can mimic other disturbances, sometimes making accurate diagnosis difficult. TS is commonly misdiagnosed as schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, epilepsy, or nervous habits (Bruun, 1984, p. 3). Some doctors believe TS is relater to multiple personality disorder, which it is not. It is a completely different disease because, unlike MPD, TS sufferers are aware of the mind being engaged in a “never-ending struggle” (Fowler, 1996, p. 36). Since more physicians are now aware of TS, where is a growing danger of over diagnosis and under treatment. Although TS involves a variety of symptoms, motor and vocal tics continue to be the essential element of this disorder (Kushner, 1999, p. 23). The very first ...
