Throughout history this disorder of the neurological system has been misunderstood. In the past many Tourette Syndrome sufferers, particularly those with severe tics, were often thought possessed. Many people with Tourette's were often committed to insane asylums. In later years the public and medical community began to think that children with tics were the result of mental or emotional problems that were due to bad parents or an abusive household environment. Even as late as the 1970's many Tourette's sufferers were frequently misdiagnosed as having obsessive-compulsive disorder, epilepsy, schizophrenia, or nervous problems.
Motor tics can occur in any part of the body.
They can include shoulder shrugging, eye blinking, head jerking, hand movements, lip-licking, facial grimacing and more. To the best of my knowledge, there have been no recorded cases of tics occurring in anyone over the age of 21 for the first time, and although its possible for the onset of tics to occur in the teenage years, the most typical onset period is around the age of seven. Common vocal tics include sniffing, throat clearing, grunting, making loud sounds or saying words. The frequency of both motor and vocal tics can occur anywhere from several times per minute to only a few times per day. Some children will display mild tics that almost go unnoticed, while others will display severe tics, like severe head moves and contorted facial movements, they occur every few minutes.