CMM

Canadian

Medical

Magazine

World Wide

Tourettes makes

CMM

Canadian

Medical

Magazine

-We have a one on one interview, to learn more about what Tourette’s is. (Pg. 8-10)

-In case you do want to know the actual medical information of Tourette’s… (Pg. 4-5)

-The stars with the disease. (Pg. 6-7)

Yeah…….

You want to be

here.

TOURETTE’S?- What is it, what doctors are doing to stop it, and the environment they should live in.

4-5

INTERVIEW WITH JACK KEEGAN– Teen who has suffered Tourette’s since an early age, and explains the packaged emotions tourette’s comes with.

8-10

FAMOUS PEOPLE WITH TOURETTES– Explain-ing how not just average Joe’s get it but famous people can also get it.

6-7

Table of Contents:

Tourette Syndrome is an inherited dis-

order with onset in childhood. It is charac-

terized by multiple physical tics and at least

one vocal tic. Tourette’s was once consid-

ered a bizarre syndrome, most often associ-

ated with the exclamation of obscene

words or socially inappropriate and deroga-

tory remarks, but to-

day this symptom is

present in only a

small amount of peo-

ple with Tourette’s.

Tourette’s is no longer

considered a rare con-

dition, but it may not

always be correctly

identified because

most cases are classi-

fied as mild.

Between 1 and 10 children out of

1000 have Tourette’s and as many as 10 out

of 1000 have tic disorders, where the most

common tics are eye blinking, coughing,

throat clearing, sniffing and facial move-

ments. Tourette’s does not affect intelli-

gence or life expectancy and the severity of

the tics decreases for most children as they

hit puberty and extreme Tourette’s in adult-

hood is very rare.

Tourette’s Medical investigations

Article by: Josh Rombaut

Written: May 1, 2010

The exact cause of Tourette’s is un-

known, however it is well known that both

genetic and environmental factors are in-

volved. Genetic studies have shown that

the majority of cases of Tourette’s are in-

herited, but the exact mode of inheritance

is not yet known. In some

cases, Tourette’s is not in-

herited from parents and

in other cases tics are as-

sociated with disorders

other than Tourette’s.

A person with Tourette’s has about a

50% chance of passing this syndrome to

one of his or her children, but not everyone

who inherits Tourette’s will show the same

symptoms as their parent or parents. Only a

minority of the children who inherit the

gene have symptoms severe enough to re-

quire medical attention. Gender appears to

have a role in the genetic vulnerability, as

males are more likely to express tics than

females.

The treatment of Tourette’s focuses on identifying and helping the individual manage

the most troubling and impairing symptoms.

Most cases of Tourette’s are mild, and do not

require pharmacological treatment because education and reassurance may be sufficient.

There is no cure for Tourette’s and no

medication that works universally for all individuals without significant adverse effects.

Medication is available when symptoms

interfere with functioning, however, many of the medications can have either long or short-

term side effects depending on the individual.

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This is what Tourette’s is medically, but later in this magazine

we look at more than the side-affects of it.

Pg. 3-4

A supportive environment and family gen-

erally gives those with Tourette’s the skills to

manage the disorder. Most people with

Tourette’s will learn to camouflage socially in-

appropriate tics.

Accomplished musicians, athletes, public

speakers and professionals from all walks of life

are found among people with Tourette’s. The

outcomes in adulthood are associated more with

the consciousness of having severe tics as a

child than with the actual severity of the tics.

A person who was misunderstood, pun-

ished or teased at home or at school will gener-

ally fare much worse than children who enjoyed

an understanding and supportive environment.

Famous People With

Tourette’s Syndrome If you think it seems like you are

the only one with it, think again.

You may feel as if you are

the only one in the world with

this, but guess what?

You’re not.

There are many people in the

world who suffer from Tourette’s,

1 in 10 per 1000 in fact, so you

should understand that you are

one of many.

The interesting aspect of it all

is that not just average Joe’s get

it. There are many famous people

with this as well.

Have you ever watched Nas-

car? Even if you haven’t you

probably know that it takes preci-

sion to handle a Nascar. You

probably also realize how hard

that would be if you were tick-

ing and twitching around. Well,

one famous Nascar driver

named Steve Wallace has con-

quered his Tourette’s enough to

be able to drive a Nascar and

race.

He is not the only famous

person with Tourette’s. Mah-

moud Abdul-Rauf, formally

known as Chris Jackson, played

professional

He is not the only famous person

with Tourette’s. Mahmoud Abdul-

Rauf, formally known as Chris Jack-

son, played professional

basketball for the Sacramento Kings

and the Denver Nuggets, showing that

even with Tourette’s nothing is out of

the question. Many other famous fig-

ures also have or still do suffer from

Tourette’s including Jim Eisenreich,

Howard Hughes, Dan Ackroyd, and

Tim Howard, so remember, you’re not

alone.

We Go One on One

With Jack Keegan,

Who lives with Tourettes Syndrome

In an exclusive interview, we find out the mental,

emotional and physical effects of living with

Tourettes and how one teenager has learned to

deal with it.

Tourette’s Syndrome

WE ASKED HOW TOURETTE’S FEELS LIKE, NOT JUST THE SYNDROMES,

BUT THE PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, AND MENTAL EFFECTS IT HAS ON

INDUVIDUALS.

Answers I did not Expect Q: To you, what is Tourette’s?

A: A disease no one deserves, that’s

for sure. Tourettes affected my life so

much as a kid. And no one on this

earth no matter they did or say de-serves to go through what I did.

Q: I see, have you always had

tourettes?

A: No, I was diagnosed when I was

around 6 years old, a lot changed after

that.

Q: Like?

A: Family, big time.

Q: How exactly then, finding out you

were diagnosed with this affected

your family?

A: My step father never treated or

talked to me the same again, did the

same to my mother as well.

Q: Just because of your tourettes?

A: Yes, to this day im not sure how,

but he’s never had respect for either

me and mother since the day, I feel partially responsible for all this, my

mother a really nice lady, she didnt

deserve to be treated that way, and if it

wasn’t for me, maybe shed be alright.

Q: You cant feel responsible for any

of that, some people are just not ac-

cepting of things. Also, many people

are effected by this disease, its not

something you can take a pill and it

will go away.

A: You’re right, maybe if I was never

brought into her life, shed be real

happy, and my father would be alive

too.

Q:Did you get your disease from

your father? A: No, his mother had it, but techni-

cally it was in his genetics, so I guess

he kind of passed it on to me.

Q: Arent you glad though that your

tourettes isn’t severe as some people

have it?

A: Yes I am, but I would prefer to not

have it at all, my child years would

have been much better.

HOW IT FEELS

WHAT IS IT?

HOW TO DEAL

WITH IT

QUICK FATC: it is believed

that an abnormal metabolism of

the neurotransmitters dopamine

and serotonin are involved with

the disorder. It is genetically transmitted; parents having a

50% chance of passing the gene

on to their children. Girls with

the gene have a 70% chance of

displaying symptoms, boys with

the gene have a 99% chance of

displaying symptoms.

Q: Besides tourettes affecting your family,

did it affect much else?

A: Yeah, like making friends is hard, because

as soon as someone see you twitch, they think

you’re retarted. So it was hard to socialize within my community. Education wise too, I

had a hard time focusing in class.

Q: So did that lead to depression?

A: Well….Ofcourse it did. Like no friends, no

family support, I couldn’t even focus on

school. So yes, quite often I was depressed.

Q: Suicidal?

A: Im not answering that.

Q: I understand. So earlier you said your”

child years would have been much better”.

Were you implying things, are well, better

now?

A: Better now, tourettes still affects me and I

still wish I never had it, but ive finally met

someone special in my life.

Q: Good to hear! Was she/he accepting of

your tourettes?

A: Hey…..I swing on the RIGHT side of the

plate! (Laughter). But yeah, she acted like it was something she saw everyday or some-

thing, so that was nice.

Q: That’s good, so you felt comfortable

when you twitched and such?

A: Well its always in the back of your head

when it happens, like “o god, I wonder what

she think when she sees this” But after a

while, it kind of just flows well with every-

thing, sometimes I don’t even think she no-

tices.

Q: Im sure she does, and your syndrome is

not as severe anyway. Can you control it?

A: If I focus really hard I can, every once in a

while. But there are times where the more I try to stop it, the more the twitching occurs.

Q: That is quite common with most people

whom have it. If you could describe

tourettes, in your own words, how would

you?

A: A Rolercoaster of Hell

Q: That’s….quite a neat metaphor. But im

assuming for you it eventually ended up in

a good place?

A: Yes, deffinetly!

Q: Ok, so lets say some people who have

tourettes will read this, what advice could

you give them? About anything?

A: Stay hopeful. Eventually something good

will come along, something that will make

you feel happy, and complete.

Q: That’s all?

A: If I had that knowledge when I was

younger, maybe I could have been a little more successful growing up, just always re-

member to be yourself I guess.

Q: I see, thanks for that. I know many peo-

ple with this disease will feel good after

reading this, thanks for your time, and

good luck with the rest of your life.

[Interviewee leaves]

*The interviewee did

Want his name

Revealed.

This is where it

got interesting

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