Your body sometimes does things without asking permission first. Movements or sounds show up on their own schedule, and trying to suppress them can be uncomfortable and tiring. You are not being disruptive on purpose. Your nervous system is improvising. The more stressed or observed you feel, the more the system may want to perform. Tourette’s can be frustrating, funny, embarrassing, and exhausting, sometimes all in the same hour. Itcan also be manageable with the right supports. What you deserve most is people who do not make your tics a personality test.

This diagnosis is characterized by multiple motor tics and at least one vocal tic present for more than a year, with onset inchildhood. Symptoms can vary over time and may be influenced by stress, fatigue, and excitement. Treatment can include behavioral therapy, medication, and accommodations depending on impact. A warm clinician will also remind you that tics are not character flaws, and you do not owe anyone an explanation for your nervous system doing its little jazz solo.