Joseph Wexler involuntarily grunts and blinks, and above all else, he is a student with Tourette's Syndrome. He was in third grade when he was diagnosed with what became a life sentence of coping with unavoidable behaviors and dealing with society's warped perception of the disorder.
Tourette's Syndrome is stereotypically marked by outlandish behavior such as physical outbreaks or excessive cursing.
Wexler, who is a junior history major, has the misfortune of being on the receiving end of an issue that gets attention primarily for its shock value, as well as its portrayal in the entertainment world.
"I always had symptoms like the ticks [twitches], both vocal and motor," Wexler said. "Growing up, the ticks would get worse [and] when there was stress, I couldn't control blinking, twitching and coughing sounds."
The uncontrollable urge to engage in a particular form of ticks is like an incessant itch that has to be scratched, Wexler said. He recalls when he was in third grade the compulsive tick of rubbing his eyes, which caused him to partially blind himself.
"I would rub so much that I would have no liquid in my eyes and I wouldn't be able to see out of them," Wexler said. "I was taken out of class almost every day just to sit in the nurse's office. I had to [use] drops every night. My mom used to send me to school with mittens just so I [wouldn't] rub my eyes."
In light of the media's tendency to portray an incomplete picture of Tourette's Syndrome in forms of entertainment such as "South Park," Wexler calls for the realization that the "well-known" behaviors are not present in all individuals handling the disease.
"People think Tourette's is all about the cursing, but it's just a stereotype," Wexler said. "People have problems where they curse and scream, but [others] need to recognize that not everyone with Tourette's has that problem."
According to Dr. David Lichter, a professor of clinical neurology through UB's Department of Medicine, the cursing tick has actually proved to be one of the more uncommon symptoms typically exhibited by those with Tourette's Syndrome.
"The cursing tick probably accounts for about 10 percent of the overall population of those who have been clinically diagnosed by Tourette's Syndrome," Lichter said. "Although it's linked in the public perception as a defining characteristic of Tourette's, it's highly uncommon."
Wexler recalls attending meetings throughout his childhood where he would be exposed to other kids with Tourette's Syndrome, which made him realize that no matter how bad he had it, same had it far worse.
"There was one guy who was missing teeth, he had this biting down on his jaw tick and he would just break things. There was a girl who would constantly swing her right arm out and punch walls and had a broken arm at the time," Wexler said. "After seeing that I said [to myself] I had it easy if all I was doing was rubbing my eyes and grunting."
According to Lichter, Tourette's Syndrome is a failure of inhibition in the brain. The causes of the diseases are known to be both psychological and neurological.
"One of the defining features involves a compulsion in the sense that the action (a tick) is done to relieve anxiety," Lichter said. "Psychic urge drives the tick, whereas anxiety drives the compulsion."
Lichter said that roughly two percent of the population is affected by Tourette's Syndrome.
He added that research is being conducted studying the effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on Tourette's patients as a relaxant.
"There have been some studies on marijuana and Tourette's Syndrome, most done in Europe and not on a large number of patients," Lichter said. "They looked for the effect of THC in a small amount of patients, and it showed a calming effect on a behavioral level as well as their ticks."
Wexler believes that even if marijuana could aid Tourette's patients, there are other more reasonable alternatives.
"I approve of the marijuana treatment as long as it's not being abused. There's this stigma attached to drug use to begin with, even if it's medicinal, it's still illegal regardless," Wexler said. "I think if it were the worse case scenario, it should be used - there are plenty of other options."
Wexler feels that when it comes to coping on an everyday basis with the disorder, it is all about finding ways around it, as well as maintaining a sense of self.
"I think what people with Tourette's are doing is really just finding ways of getting by," Wexler said. "You deal with the cards you are given, I was handed a joker."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
