Tourette Syndrome is characterized by chronic motor and phonic mannerisms.
Vocal tics are an essential part of the definition, though they are generally less common.
Both motor and vocal tics often run in the family and they are often precipitated by stress. We now know that Tourette's is closely related to other conditions, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and other emotional problems, such as anxiety disorders. But at its core minimum, we see the motor and phonic tics over a period of more than a year, which cannot be attributable to some other underlying neurologic disease or medication. Georges Gilles de la Tourette was a French physician in the 19th century studying in Paris who was trying to describe movement disorders as part of his medical thesis. He came up with the first clinical description, written down in the 1880s.