While talking to David Letterman while filming the Netflix series My Next Guest Needs No IntroductionBillie Eilish, 20, has revealed that she suffers from the Tourette’s syndrome, which she was diagnosed with when she was 11. “If you take me back long enough, you’ll see a lot of tics. During the day I constantly move my ears back and forth, raise my eyebrows and snap my jaw, contract my arm, contract my muscles », said the singer; saying that although little is noticed about her, for her these movements are “very exhausting”.
Before her, the Roman actor Alessandro Borghi, 35, had also revealed that he suffered from Tourette’s syndrome. In fact, last December, during an interview on the occasion of the release of Super heroesBorghi had released a rather intimate statement: «For a long time I thought I had tics – he revealed – instead it was Tourette’s syndrome. Do you feel that I have a strange breath every now and then? They are spasms. It is a neurological syndrome, with various symptoms: I have spasms or I blow on my fingers. After the diagnosis I stopped considering it a problem, because at least now I know what I have. “
But what exactly is this disease that unites Billie Eilish and Alessandro Borghi?
Tourette’s syndrome is one condition of the nervous system which causes the often combined emission of sudden and uncontrolled movements or sounds of the face and / or weapons that are repeatedly performed. It is the disease of ticswhich takes its name from the French neurologist Gilles de la Tourette who first identified it and described a clinical picture in 1884.
It is a real neuropsychiatric condition (that is, it affects the brain and behavior) that typically arises during childhood or adolescence, so much so that it can be defined as a neurodevelopmental disease. Tourette’s syndrome, however, has a fluctuating course: according to the available data, in two thirds of cases the symptoms almost completely diminish after 15-16 years. But in the remaining third, the disturbances persist, even if they become more controllable over time.
According to the National Institute of Health (ISSalute), this disease is more common than is believed: it affects about one in 100 peoplewith an incidence (for reasons still unknown) three times higher in males than in females.
So let’s find out what are the causes, symptoms and how to arrive at the diagnosis of Tourette’s syndrome.
Unfortunately, the causes of Tourette’s syndrome are not yet fully known. It is in fact a complex disorder probably caused by one combination of environmental and hereditary factors. According to various researches, there may in fact be a genetic predisposition. In fact, having a family history of Tourette’s syndrome or other tic disorders could increase your risk.
However, there are theories on the subject that they also consider neurological factsIn this case, chemicals in the brain that transmit nerve impulses (neurotransmitters), including dopamine and serotonin, could play an important role in the manifestation of the disease.
The main symptoms, the first to arise, are i motor tics often occurring in the head and neck area, such as sudden jerking of the head, grimacing of the face. In more complex cases, however, these uncontrolled movements activate multiple types of muscle and extend to the limbs and other parts of the body. Some of these tics are sometimes not even noticeable, others, especially those that happen more often, are much more obvious. Sometimes, tics can be so intense that they become teased, complicate social relationships and work / school activities.
The vocal tics can be added to the motor ticssuch as coughing or clearing your throat, but also grunting, making noises and even screaming.
Stress, excitement, or being sick can make them worse; while a calm period or being focused on an activity help improve symptoms.
Some more complex pictures of Tourette’s syndrome are defined as 2 Plus. In these cases, in addition to motor and sound tics, other disorders can be experienced. The most common are the inattention and motor restlessness typical of ADHDand the obsessive-compulsive disorder (DOC).
For the moment there are no specific tests that allow the diagnosis of Tourette’s syndrome. For this reason the diagnosis is above all observational and clinical.
First, doctors must to exclude other issues which in turn can determine tics and symptoms given by the disease, such as epilepsy, autism or other neurological disorders, but also allergies or vision problems. Tourette syndrome gives all these other problems because of the duration of symptoms: it can in fact be diagnosed if a person has had motor and vocal tics for at least a year.
Many people with this syndrome have tics that do not interfere with their daily life and, therefore, do not need any treatment. As in the cases of Billie Eilish and Alessandro Borghi. In fact, the two stars have learned to live with this diagnosis and indeed have found relief in their art. In fact, the actor had said that his symptoms disappear completely when he acts. «I gave myself a“ poetic ”explanation – he said – my job is to put myself in someone else’s shoes; the other the Tourette does not have it and therefore, at that moment, neither do I. “
However, in the event that tics cause pain or injury, interfere with daily activity, or cause excessive stress, some therapies. While there is no real cure, treatments (in the form of medications and psychotherapy) are available to help manage tics.
Source: Vanity Fair
