Tourette Syndrome TS) is a neurological disorder characterized by tics -- involuntary, rapid, sudden movements or vocalizations that occur repeatedly.

The symptoms include: 

- Both multiple motor and one or more vocal tics present at some time during the illness although not necessarily simultaneously

- The occurrence of tics many times a day (usually in bouts) nearly every day or intermittently throughout a span of more than one year

- Periodic changes in the number, frequency, type and location of the tics, and waxing and waning of their severity. Symptoms can sometimes disappear for weeks or months at a time.

- Onset before the age of 18.

The term, "involuntary," used to describe TS tics is sometimes confusing since it is known that most people with TS do have some control over their symptoms. What is not recognized is that the control, which can be exercised anywhere from seconds to hours at a time, may merely postpone more severe outbursts of symptoms. Tics are experienced as irresistible and (as with the urge to sneeze) eventually must be expressed. People with TS often seek a secluded spot to release their symptoms after delaying them in school or at work. Typically, tics increase as a result of tension or stress, and decrease with relaxation or when focusing on an absorbing task.