Tourette’s Syndrome Explained by Those Who Actually Live with It

Dear readers, wake up. If you haven’t already. I don’t know how old you are — adults, teenagers, or young people experiencing Tourette’s Syndrome for the first time. This is Tourette’s Syndrome explained by those who actually live with it. Wake up, and don’t believe that everything that shines is gold. Having Tourette’s Syndrome is not as debilitating as it is often made out to be.

Of course, you might say that some people are more affected than others — by tics and by the whole range of associated conditions: attention deficit disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and, God forbid, the swearing — so that the internet crowd can keep portraying us as compulsive blasphemers.

Judgements on Tourette’s

The point is that we must not let this define us. When I was young, the syndrome was barely known. Tics were handled the old-fashioned way, and so were the associated compulsions. Today we live in a time that celebrates diversity, and we are fortunate to have psychologists, psychiatrists and people who genuinely support us and help us grow.

But be careful: not everything that looks like help actually helps.

This constant need to support, facilitate and protect does not necessarily make a person stronger. On the contrary, it can leave them more exposed to real life. Becoming an adult without ever having faced a real problem is not an advantage. It’s a weakness waiting to show.

The Reality of the World

When you are rejected from jobs — especially because of your tics — things become very clear. If your tics are intense, working with the public is not always a realistic option.

So what do you prefer? Someone telling you the truth to your face, or someone giving you a polite speech and still not hiring you? You already know the answer.

Honestly, I wouldn’t have hired myself either. Back then, I had so many tics that even walking was difficult, let alone working.

Tourette’s in 2026

Today, people will probably reject you more politely, because you’re already used to it. Since school, you’ve been the “special” one — the one everyone is friendly with, the one always invited, always included.

That’s the beauty of modern inclusion.

Then one day you look around and realise how many of those people are still there. What those friendships were really worth. What you actually carry with you from those “special” experiences.

More and more, there seems to be a lack of contact with reality. It’s almost inevitable. No one has time anymore. Everything has to be solved immediately. Less stress, everyone happy, and someone else will deal with the consequences later. That seems to be the default mindset now.

And in all of this, it becomes harder and harder to understand your own value — or whether you have any at all. Because the truth is, life out there is not waiting to welcome you. It’s waiting to test you.

What Builds You

I don’t know what it’s like to grow up surrounded by constant attention as a “special” person. At best, I was the “famous” one — which, in practice, just meant “the strange one”.

There were plenty of parties I wasn’t invited to. My parents didn’t complain on my behalf. I wasn’t excused for anger, for tics, or for breaking things at home.

I was never allowed to insult people and blame it on Tourette’s.

And yes, that kind of upbringing can feel harsh. But it builds something.

I’ve left jobs because of my tics, than I’ve been mocked. I’ve been rejected from projects and opportunities because of Tourette’s. And yet, here I am.

In Conclusion

Now that I talk about it openly, I see more and more organisations focusing on pity — on celebrating the mediocrity of life with Tourette’s rather than pushing beyond it.

In the end, my critics have always called me a “shitty Tourettian”. And honestly, I can’t even argue with that. I’ve gone as far as writing a book about it.