This is actually strange, since most authors mention that tics themselves often do not concern Touretters and that they seek medical and psychiatric help for other reasons.
The first two that I present here, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Attention Deficit Disorder, are relatively well described. But these don't seem to be the type of labels under which Touretters always identify themselves.
One often hears whispered questions in the vein of "Do you also have..." and then some or other "weird" experience. These "subjective" accounts of Tourette are in my mind more valuable than the scientific accounts. Please, post!
Obsessions are recurrent ideas or thoughts which seem to invade and
take control of your mind, without your consent. The content of the
obsessions can vary. Examples are:
(There is an alt.support.ocd
newsgroup.)
In most cases, ADD is accompanied by hyperactivity, which leads to the
term Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In earlier years
people spoke of "hyperactive children." What is less well known is
that these children can grow up to be ADD adults.
The main symptoms of ADD are inattention and impulsivity - difficulty
in keeping your attention focused on one thing, and being susceptible
to a broad range of distractions.
Early in life many ADD'ers experience problems in school early in life
and it is for this reason that their parents often seek help. The norm
seems to be for most Touretters to be diagnosed in childhood or
adolescence as having "Tourette Syndrome with ADD". If the physician
making the diagnosis is ignorant of TS or is unfamiliar with its
milder forms, the diagnosis of Tourette might never be made.
(There is an alt.support.attn-deficit
newsgroup.)
The main characteristic of all these seem to be that they suddenly
appear "out of the blue" and diappear the same way. Also, rationally
knowing them to be delusions does not always help - a deeper part of
the mind seems to have caught a hold of them. Just to let go again
without warning.
Most psychiatrists would class these under various headings such as
mania or obsessions; and not much is written about them. I strongly
believe that we as Touretters should get together and discuss these
and other aspects of Tourette as we experience it.
a) Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Other common symptoms of TS are obsessions and compulsions, which
also go by the label Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). One could
view the latter as extremely complex tics.
Compulsions are repetitive actions one feels compelled to make, often
in a ritualistic fashion. Quite often these rituals are gone through
despite the fact that one does not really want to do them, and despite
wanting to resist them. Examples are:
obsessions about violence and recurrently imagining violent scenes
obsessions about numbers and counting everything
obsessions about words and spelling
obsessively having to question everything
One could say that compulsions are the same as tics: a similar urge is
present, but the actions are not carried out automatically because
they are too lengthy and complex; the actions are carried through
deliberately as one finally has to give in to the urge.
having to do petty things just right
always aligning all books to be perpendicular with the table
having to leave the same way you came
checking and rechecking something
always touching things an even number of times
b) Attention Deficit Disorder
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is one of the most common companions
of TS - as many as 50% of Touretters have some form of it.
c) Moods, Episodes and Weird Feelings
Many Touretters report that they are prone to moods such as
despondency, and weird feelings such as that the world is just a movie
or that there is something terrifically important in the specific
contour of the pencil sharpener on their desk.
