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Tourette Treatment & Behavioral Management Techniques

Tourette's Syndrome or TS is a neurological disease that causes a person to lose control of aspects of his behavior. TS creates involuntary verbal and physical tics that make life difficult for the TS patient. There is no cure for TS. However, behavior modification along with psychotherapy can help treat the symptoms of TS.

  1. Behavior Modification

    • Behavior modification teaches TS patients to suppress their tics as much as they can and help TS patients appear calm and relaxed. Start by having the patient look in the mirror for half an hour to an hour every day. The first few days should be nothing more than observation. This is to give her a chance to get a feel for her tics and when they occur. Many TS patients don't notice their tics unless they see them in the mirror. Once they have a good feel for their tics, they should try to suppress them. They should start slow by focusing on one tic a day. It will be impossible to suppress all of them in the beginning. Techniques such a face scrunching and lip biting can control facial twitches and vocal tics. Holding both hands together can help control any hand- or finger-based twitches. Behavior modification is not a perfect treatment for TS because TS is a neurological disorder and not a behavior problem.

    Psychotherapy

    • People who suffer from TS are often embarrassed by their condition. This embarrassment can lead to psychological problems that make it difficult to live a full life. Psychotherapy may be necessary to help them cope with these problems. Psychotherapy does not help them suppress their TS tics. It can help to change any negative behaviors they use to cope with their emotional frustrations. They will have many frustrations due to their struggle to control their tics and also from the potentially cruel behavior of others. One-on-one counseling is useful for the TS victim to vent frustrations. The stress that comes from the daily suppression of TS tics may also be overwhelming for a TS victim. Relaxation techniques such as meditation can treat this stress.

    Education and Support

    • Not many people understand TS fully including TS patients. This is why it is so important to educate them on their disease. TS is not the non-discriminative screaming of obscenities that it is often portrayed as in films. TS is not degenerative. This means it doesn't increase in intensity as the years pass. In fact, as the years pass and the patient learns to suppress his tics, the tics will naturally decrease in intensity. Facts like this should be taught to a TS patient as quickly as possible. A support group of friends and family can help him deal with the condition. This should include other TS patients, as meeting other TS patients will help him understand that he is not alone with his disease.

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