Treatment of Tourette syndrome
Habit reversal training (HRT), massed negative practice, biofeedback, relaxation, hypnosis and other behavioral approaches are proposed as alternative treatments of tics, but few have been well assessed. Relaxation techniques, such as exercise, yoga or meditation, may be useful in relieving stress that may aggravate tics, but the majority of behavioral interventions (such as relaxation training and biofeedback, with the exception of habit reversal) have not been systematically evaluated and are not proven therapies for Tourette's.
Tic Talk: Living with Tourette Syndrome
Peters introduces himself by telling the reader how old he is and about his family. To delve further into his personality he states what sports and school subjects he likes most. When he was four years old he began to have tics, and his parents took him to a neurologist who prescribed medicine which would help reduce the intensity of the tics. The tics still occurred with medication. As the tics progressed in strength and intensity, Peters began to wonder if his friends would notice and if they would think he was strange. His friends began to ask questions about why he would do certain things such as blink twice or jerk his head. In the third grade, he decided to tell his friends and classmates of his Tourette syndrome. As the date of getting in front of his class to tell of his syndrome approached, his tics worsened. The day came and his mother went in to define Tourette syndrome for the class. Dylan then told his friends of his story so they could better understand him. After he did this his tics decreased in intensity. In the end he stated that this was most likely because he was not scared or nervous about what his friends would think anymore. In his last paragraph Peters stated that having Tourette syndrome does not change a person, it is just what makes that person who they are as a part of their personality.