by Olivia Battistoni

Tourette's is seen as a disease and therefore usually looked at in a negative light, but as seen in the case studies presented by Dr. Oliver Sacks, it is not necessarily a burden or a restriction on a person's life, and those inflicted with it can actually find benefits from their condition. In a film on children who suffer from the disease, called I Have Tourette's, but Tourette's Doesn't Have Me it is easy to see that while the children may have difficulty in performing certain tasks, they all see themselves as a normal person who is not restricted by their condition. The degree to which a person suffers from Tourette's varies greatly and this can affect how strongly an individual's life is influenced by the condition. Those with noticeable tics that play a large part in their daily routine do experience how this can limit their ability to thrive socially when those around them do not understand the condition. However, outside of being socially excluded and having trouble focusing and staying still during certain times and with certain tics, Tourette's does not take away a person's ability to pursue a meaningful life and perform certain tasks. Children feel remorseful, even though they know they cannot stop it, many of them feel self conscious about the tics they have, such as a little girl who swears but feels terrible when she does it in an interview about her condition. Tourettes often restricts those suffering more socially and emotionally than physically.