Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a reasonably common and complex
disorder. About 50% of Touretters also have OCD which is why it is
believed that OCD is part of the GTS spectrum.
For more information on this - click here.
I don't feel I could do OCD justice in a small paragraph here, so I have
listed a few good OCD sites:
The Obsessive Compulsive Foundation official site
OCD Frequently Asked Questions
Obsessive Compulsives Anonymous:
A support site
Addictive Disorders
One of the major studies undertaken by Dr. Comings was the relationship
between Tourette syndrome and suppression of inappropriate actions. He
came to the conclusion that Tourette's is a disorder of control, Touretters are
more animalistic and less civilised than normal people.
I'm not sure anyone would agree with that any more, but a large part of his
conclusion was based on the high levels of addiction among Touretters.
Addictions to alcohol, food, gambling, shopping, and drugs, both illicit and
legal were very common to the Touretters studied.
While Dr Comings' theory that these behaviours are extensions of the lack of
control shown in Tourette syndrome, there is another more widely accepted
theory. The Touretters I have spoken to admit to addictive behaviours, but
claim to be self medicating.
Everyone has heard of retail therapy, and people often eat for comfort so
these two behaviours are easily explained.
Also, and perhaps I shouldn't make this
next point, many drugs are actually good for Tourette syndrome.
Marijuana has long been known to control tics and has been studied as a possible
starting point for Tourette medication. (Marijuana never made it as a
medication. It was found that it is the hallucinogenic chemical in MJ that
controls the tics, so it would not be possible to make a safe drug out of
it.) Alcohol is also a wonderful tic stopper, and also works on any
anxiety the person may have. (I have been very drunk and I have been on high
doses of Haloperidol and both experiences are very similar. Alcohol blocks
all neurotransmitters from crossing the synapses, including dopamine.)
Other drugs, such as stimulants like speed are also good at controlling tics
while you are affected.
It must be remembered, before you all go out and get drunk, that these
solutions are temporary and when you sober up you get the same withdrawal you'd
get coming off any legitimate medication.
Attention problems
ADD (Attention deficit disorder) and ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder) are very common in Tourette syndrome and these two attentional
problems tend to be considered part of the big three: Tourette Syndrome, OCD and
ADD/ADHD.
I do not feel that I can give justice to these conditions in such a short
space, so I have chosen some websites to link to:
CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention
Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder)
The ADHD information library
WWW A.D.D. FAQ SITE
Anxiety
Three people mentioned that they had IBS. I had no idea what that was, so I searched and found the website for the
Australian IBS society
IBS is basically what the title says; you have alternating constipation and
diarrhoea, abdominal pains that disappear when you go to the toilet, and a feeling of never quite being empty.
Stress is thought to be one of the main causes of IBS.
Norepinephrine in the brain combats stress, and Touretters have low levels of norepinephrine.
Usually doctors suggest fibre supplements for IBS. But
sometimes this can make the problem worse not better. It is usually better
to incorporate a little bit more fibre into your diet through fruit and
vegetables.
Ulcers
Ulcers seem to be quite common in Touretters as well. These can be very
painful and can affect the stomach, duodenum, and intestines. The cause of
these ulcers are often unknown and their discovery can lead to a long process of
investigative procedures that often rule out the common causes without actually
saying what is wrong. It appears proton pump antagonists like Losec
are good at minimising symptoms, but it is not a cure.
Reflux
The cause of 90% of reflux cases is helicobacter bacteria in the gut.
However, the kind associated with Tourette syndrome tends to be somewhere in the
other 10%. In fact, the Tourette syndrome reflux seems to have no known
cause at all and is often classed as a "nervous gut" by doctors and
left at that. That's not to say that normal causes are not part of the
problem. It is common for Tourette reflux to be made
worse by
helicobacter, even if it is not caused by it. This reflux responds
well to antacids such as Mylanta, and H2 antagonists such as Zantac. Another
really good thing to do is eat small meals frequently rather than overfilling
yourself.
Inappropriate or abnormal sexual behaviours
Often the inappropriate behaviours of Touretters are just copropraxia.
But there have been other "deviations" noted at a higher frequency
among Touretters. Most of these are associated with the higher androgen
levels associated with Tourette syndrome.
Comings (1994) found highly significant statistical correlations between
Tourette's and high libido, inclinations to bisexuality and homosexuality,
exhibitionism, pedophilia, fetishism, aversion to sex and aversion to being
touched.
As you can see not all of these "conditions" are inappropriate,
but they have all been linked to high androgen levels. On a similar note,
some women with more severe Tourette syndrome have also been found to have
higher androgen levels than normal, suggesting this may be a diagnostic device
one day.
Learning Disorders
It is difficult for me to give much detail here, as I have
not experienced a learning disorder firsthand.
So here are some useful sites:
Non-verbal learning disorders -
NLDline
The International
Dyslexia Association
Speech Problems
A lot of the speech problems associated with Tourette syndrome are actually
part of the syndrome. Fear of releasing vocal tics can be blamed for any
hesitancy in speech. It can also explain hurried speech, as the speaker
attempts to get their ideas out before a vocal tic interferes.
Often people have weird dreams, trouble sleeping due to breathing tics, hyperactivity keeps them awake, or Depression gives insomnia.