Welcome to Touretteshero!

www.touretteshero.com is a place to share and celebrate the creativity and humour of Tourettes. It’s not about mocking or commiserating. It’s about reclaiming the most frequently misunderstood syndrome on the planet.

I am Touretteshero, a superhero with Tourettes Syndrome.

Tourettes is a mysterious neurological condition. Having it means I make movements and noises that I can’t control – these are called tics. Sometimes my tics are very simple and just involve me squeaking or nodding my head. Sometimes though, my tics are more complicated and involve me saying stuff like “sexually frustrated dog food”. And that’s when it gets interesting.

No one really knows what causes Tourettes but technically it’s believed to be an inherited genetic condition that involves an imbalance in the function of the brain’s neurotransmitters. It’s thought that between 200,000 and 330,000 people in the UK have Tourettes to one degree or another. When I say people, it’s mainly men – about four times more men than women in fact. So that means I really stand out.

All my tics are involuntary and I tic hundreds of times a day so I’m rarely still or quiet.

“Derren Brown is in the room, shut your mind.”

Tourettes is pretty much the only special power I’ll ever need. Like most special powers, it gives me an extraordinary superhuman ability that can be used for good, but it can also bring incredible challenges. In this blog I’ll be sharing some of the best and worst bits of Tourettes.

“Chaos Theory is for wimps.”

On the site you can read thousands more of these unusual utterances, and if you feel inspired you can sign up and send in images based on any tic you like. New tics will be added to the site all the time and you can vote for and comment on your favourites.

“I’m writing War and Peace in my mind.”

The posts that follow will sometimes contain language that some people might find offensive. Only 10% of people with Tourettes swear involuntarily, but I’m one of them. If you’re easily offended, this isn’t the site for you. If not, welcome to my mind.

“90% okay, 10% crisps.”

Each post will describe my experiences with Tourettes and celebrate the surreal humour that often surrounds it. You’ll find out a lot more about me as the blog progresses, but to begin with the most important thing you need to know is:

“I have a confusing relationship with squirrels.”

I hope you enjoy the blog and laugh like “Alan Sugar’s Gigolo.”

“Here comes squawky….”