Dare to Ask: What's all the shouting about?

By PHILLIP MILANO, The Times-Union

Question

Many times when a person is exhibiting symptoms of Tourette's syndrome, they make sounds like loud noises or barks, or utter racial slurs or obscenities. What would they use verbally, if these people had never heard obscenities or certain slurs?

Jay, Jacksonville

Replies 

Well, Tourette's isn't about saying "dirty" words, it's about saying ones that are inappropriate to the situation. The stereotypical Tourette's sufferer will often shout out obscenities to no one in particular, saying - - this and - - that. An actual Tourette's sufferer is more likely to have a "favorite" saying, as well as just randomly blurt out things that may not be obscene, but are impolite or inappropriate given the setting.

Craig M., 21, Duncan, Canada

That particular symptom, called coprolalia, is a fairly rare one. Only about 15 percent of folks with Tourette's will display this. The urge seems to be to say the one thing that it is most impolitic to say. If you haven't heard a slur, you would probably substitute other phrases that are also considered impolite - "Stupid!" for example. The mind is pretty inventive. Upon seeing someone with a large nose, the word might just be "Nose!" or "Elephant!"

TC, Hattiesburg, Miss.

Expert says

It is true, this form of Tourette's is the kind that involves saying totally inappropriate or impolite things, you complete loser readers whom we consistently take for granted.

Stuart Ellis-Myers, who speaks nationally about his long-time Tourette's and is writing a book titled I Twitch, agrees it's only about 10 percent to 15 percent of those afflicted who do the out-loud cussing. He told us that most people with Tourette's, a neurological disorder that often starts in childhood, make facial tics or grunting noises, rather than nasty shout-outs.

Researchers estimate close to 200,000 people in the U.S. have Tourette's, according to the Tourette Syndrome Association. For people who have it, a part of the brain is telling them to do certain things, such as twitch, and the only resolution is to follow those orders - in much the same way the brain might tell someone with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder to check the oven or doors.

"I'm not a swearer . . . but I tell audiences, can I share with you what some of my friends [with coprolalia] say? If you're a sailor, they'll blow you out of the water," Ellis-Myers said.

But what if you didn't know any profanities or slurs?

"You'd go to whatever words you were told by your parents or society not to use," he said. "It's the lack of control of not being able to stop yourself. Your brain says: 'Oh, I can't touch fire? Then I will.' "

"For us, two wrongs make a right. We know we can't stop twitching or swearing, and at the same time we know we shouldn't be saying the following words. It's action toward finding peace. . . . the best way to know what it's like is to go drink 15 espressos, then stick your finger in a light socket 15 times. You'd come out twitching and swearing, too."

Damn straight, losers.

Phillip Milano, author of I Can't Believe You Asked That! (Perigee), moderates cross-cultural dialogue at Y? The National Forum on People's Differences. Visit www.yforum.com to submit questions and answers. Send general column comments to phillip. milano@jacksonville.com. You can also hear his podcasts or watch his TV spots.