[Mike]

My friend, who has Tourettes Syndrome, is a liar. He takes advantage of his ‘disability’ to skip classes, swears any time and skims through life being treated too well. Is this right?

User Detail :  

Name : Mike, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 13, City : Harwich, State : MA, Country : United States, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 

[Bill23244]

You sound like you have this guy pegged for what he really is. It is hard enough for one to have a disability like this, but to take advantage of the situation does more harm to himself. By not dealing with his handicap in a mature way, he will always use it to get what he wants, at the expense of others. We all have our crosses to bear, some just are more visible than others.

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Name : Bill23244, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, City : Burlington, State : VT, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Katrina]

Hmmm…being Tourettic myself, I have to say that it definitely does not cause skipping classes. The swearing however, may be another story. He may exhibit Coprolalia, which is uncontrolled and generally very unnatural sounding swearing. It may sound forced or similar to any other vocal tic, or come up in a completely random place. But if he is using it as an excuse to naturally pepper his language as he wishes, in the manner of anyone else and in defience of rules, then that’s certainly wrong on his part, and only promoting a stereotype that Tourettics have to work hard to combat…the idea that Tourette’s = Uncontrolled swearing. On the other hand, he may have other things going on, and is using this as an excuse, something to hide behind…it’s something people can see and they may go ‘oh, okay’ when he is using it as an excuse for his behaviour (such as skipping classes), especially adults. It may protect him from revealing what is really up. I never got special treatment, I never wanted it even if people encouraged me to seek it. I didn’t want pity or anything, I just wanted left alone and not made to feel like more of a freak than I already did. But I can understand the desire to try to get positive attention in this way, especially in Junior High, which is a tough time for anyone who is perceived as different. Kids who twitch and jerk uncontrollably and grunt and grimace are certainly seen as different. Someone needs to be paying attention to this kid, REAL attention, to see what is really up for him. Then if he just has a bad attitude, that should be dealt with. If there is more beneath the surface, then that should as well. He can’t be helped if people are buying his story or are afraid to challenge it.

User Detail :  

Name : Katrina, Gender : F, Disability : Tourette's Syndrome, OCD, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 21, City : Moses Lake, State : WA, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Donny]

I agree with you. I have been diagnosed with TS since I was 11 years old, and I can tell you that I have never used my Tourette’s as an excuse to not do something. I spent 5 years in the Marine Corps, and I just re-enlisted into the Army Reserves. What he’s doing is only hurting himself and presenting a bad image for the rest of us that have been diagnosed with Tourette’s. If you want to put a shock into his system, just let him know that in the middle ages, people such as us would be burned at the stake. That should wake him up.

User Detail :  

Name : Donny, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Disability : Tourette's Syndrome, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Methodist, Age : 25, City : Santa Fe, State : TX, Country : United States, Occupation : Military, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Lower middle class, 

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