In severe cases, the individual may practice lip and cheek biting and head banging. Symptoms may disappear for weeks or months at a time. The specific cause is unknown. People with TS can sometimes suppress their tics for a short time, however the task is similar to that of holding back a sneeze. Eventually tension mounts and the tic escapes.
Tics worsen in stressful situations.
Tics they improve when the person is relaxed. Tics usually decrease during sleep. Tourette Syndrome is a clinical diagnosis. This means blood tests or other laboratory tests do not difinitively diagnose the Syndrome. Usually Tourette Syndrome is diagnosed by observing the symptoms and evaluating family history.