Tourette Syndrome
Often mistaken for demonic possession. Tourette syndrome that is due to neurological imbalance within the nervous system that starts in childhood and is genetically inherited. It involves unusual repetitive movements or unwanted sounds that can't be controlled (tics).
The symptoms include:
Motor
Vocal
(unusual rhythms, tone, accents, loudness, and very rapid speech), coprolalia (obscene words or phrases), palilalia (repeating one's own words), echolalia (repeating sounds or words),
Behavioral and Developmental
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, obsessions and compulsions, emotional lability, irritability, impulsivity, aggressivity, and self-injurious behaviors; varied learning disabilities.
Tics are often worse with excitement or anxiety and better during calm, focused activities.
It is obvious how these behaviors can be misinterpreted as demonic possession. Possessed individuals are said to twist and move their body's in odd ways, repeat the phrases of others, shout out offensive words, make grunting noises and harm themselves.
There are other problems associated with Tourette Syndrome such as Attention-Deficit Disorder, Hyperactivity Disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, dyslexia and learning disabilities such as difficulty in organizing work, talking excessively, interrupting and intruding others, short attention spans, engaging in physically dangerous activity and various sleep disorders.
People with Tourette Syndrome also have lingering obsessions of contamination, disease, sexual impulses, self harm, and death.
Many Tourette syndrome patients also have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms that may be as disruptive to their lives as the tics - sometimes even more so. There is recent evidence that obsessive-compulsive symptomatology may actually be another expression of the TS gene and, therefore, an integral part of the disorder.
(http://drstevenberk.com/Guide%20to%20the%20Diagnosis%20and%20Treatment%20of%20Tourette%20Syndrome.htm)
The symptoms include:
Motor
- Simple motor tics: fast, darting, and meaningless.
- Complex motor tics: slower, may appear purposeful
Vocal
- Simple vocal tics: meaningless sounds and noises.
- Complex vocal tics: linguistically meaningful utterances such as words and phrases
(unusual rhythms, tone, accents, loudness, and very rapid speech), coprolalia (obscene words or phrases), palilalia (repeating one's own words), echolalia (repeating sounds or words),
Behavioral and Developmental
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, obsessions and compulsions, emotional lability, irritability, impulsivity, aggressivity, and self-injurious behaviors; varied learning disabilities.
Tics are often worse with excitement or anxiety and better during calm, focused activities.
It is obvious how these behaviors can be misinterpreted as demonic possession. Possessed individuals are said to twist and move their body's in odd ways, repeat the phrases of others, shout out offensive words, make grunting noises and harm themselves.
There are other problems associated with Tourette Syndrome such as Attention-Deficit Disorder, Hyperactivity Disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, dyslexia and learning disabilities such as difficulty in organizing work, talking excessively, interrupting and intruding others, short attention spans, engaging in physically dangerous activity and various sleep disorders.
People with Tourette Syndrome also have lingering obsessions of contamination, disease, sexual impulses, self harm, and death.
Many Tourette syndrome patients also have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms that may be as disruptive to their lives as the tics - sometimes even more so. There is recent evidence that obsessive-compulsive symptomatology may actually be another expression of the TS gene and, therefore, an integral part of the disorder.
(http://drstevenberk.com/Guide%20to%20the%20Diagnosis%20and%20Treatment%20of%20Tourette%20Syndrome.htm)