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[Cockles & Whelks]

‘The unknown is scary’: why young women on social media are developing Tourette’s-like tics

Doctors have been surprised to see young adults developing tics and seizures that usually start in childhood. Social media has been blamed, but the reality is more complicated

www.theguardian.com

 

[p_xavier]

More like Tick Tocks amiright.

 

[ItsGreat]

We had the Fast Show on the telly in the UK. That explains a lot.

This week i have mostly been eatin'

 

[Ionian]

I remember listening to BBC5 and they had a woman on with tourettes. Quite a posh sounding lady but her tic was to randomly say "BISCUITS!" during sentences. I felt awful laughing but it was quite funny. She wouldn't swear, just shout "BISCUITS!". I wish I'd recorded it.

EDIT: Turns out she is online. Fair play to her.

 

[ManaByte]

 

[Kev Kev]

ive been hearing about this for several months now and in almost all the cases their symptoms went away after seeing a doctor. the doctors didnt know what the hell was going on, but after they figured it out all these people had the same symptoms and same tics (the same symptoms/ticks the tic tokkers that they watch suffer from), they were able to clearly present that to the patient and eventually get them out of doing these tics.

it is real, but the sole reason for it is a desire to feel special or different, so they can stand out and get the same kind of attention they are seeing the people in tic tok videos receive.

the brain is a mysteriously powerful thing that can make us do weird shit when we are stressed out. in this case young people are stressed out about not being as special or getting the attention they are seeing all these people on the internet get. craziness, but i can see why its happening. we are not meant to have this instant, constant access to every human on the planet. it can make us better humans sure, but it can also lead to weird shit like this story.

 

[T8SC]

I expect Sweet Anita to report on this, she's got tourettes (genuinely) and is open about to the point she even takes the piss out of herself.

Highlights reel:




She's reported on people "faking" tourettes before too, obviously people on social media. So is it a case of people genuinely developing it in adulthood, or faking it ...

 

[Ionian]

I expect Sweet Anita to report on this, she's got tourettes (genuinely) and is open about to the point she even takes the piss out of herself.

Highlights reel:




She's reported on people "faking" tourettes before too, obviously people on social media. So is it a case of people genuinely developing it in adulthood, or faking it ...

When I used to bother with Twitch I'd watch her vids. She was a genuine sweetheart, there was no way in hell she's faking it. Her attitude though was what made her streaming brilliant but I just wasn't into the games she played and eventually stopped using Twitch anyway. Just got to a point that I'd sit watching someone sitting for hours and realized that standing is kinda fun too.

Best streamer was the girl who streamed her stacking shelves on the night-shift. She didn't give a fuck. Her followers blew up and then some assholes started contacting the store and got her fired, she even streamed her firing. A total legend.

 

[trikster40]

More like Tick Tocks amiright.

 

[LordCBH]

Kids need to be kept off TikTok. Tourette’s isn’t the only disorder they’re faking because of it.

 

[DeafTourette]

I have Tourette Syndrome... Diagnosed at 15 over 30 years ago. Hence the second half of my username.

Anyway... The brain is amazing and we still don't fully understand it. These kids really want to feel special and subconsciously began to exhibit some of the symptoms of TS ... Because they saw TikTokers with it and they developed the same tics.

I find this fascinating! A little troubling but fascinating still.

 

[AlteredForms]

I have Tourette Syndrome... Diagnosed at 15 over 30 years ago. Hence the second half of my username.

Anyway... The brain is amazing and we still don't fully understand it. These kids really want to feel special and subconsciously began to exhibit some of the symptoms of TS ... Because they saw TikTokers with it and they developed the same tics.

I find this fascinating! A little troubling but fascinating still.

The man we all came to see.

 

[Atrus]

So… social media turns your malleable brain to mush, and mushy brains adapt to the environment it is subjected to leading to intentional fake illnesses or unintentional mimicry of illnesses.

Shouldn’t this fall under as some form of internet addiction? Instead of the fat lady doubling-down on her “PTSD” and spreading “awareness”, she should be off of the internet and getting treatment.

 

[Ionian]

So… social media turns your malleable brain to mush, and mushy brains adapt to the environment it is subjected to leading to intentional fake illnesses or unintentional mimicry of illnesses.

Shouldn’t this fall under as some form of internet addiction? Instead of the fat lady doubling-down on her “PTSD” and spreading “awareness”, she should be off of the internet and getting treatment.

Yeah ok, it's real not fake.

Here's a video before internet took off past dial up BBS. Which nobody used apart from those in the know and with the money.



Imagine having to live like that. It's extremely sad.

 

[Atrus]

Yeah ok, it's real not fake.

Imagine having to live like that. It's extremely sad.

I’m not saying Tourette’s is fake I’m saying that social media is inducing people to fake illnesses or express the symptoms through unintentional mimicry or mirroring.

 

[Haint]

My Aunt's Granddaughter-In-Law came down with this last year, think she's like 13 or 14. Dr. diagnosed it as social media combined with Covid lockdowns. Tiktok is the realization of what our parent's used to warn us about with TV and Videogames (e.g. rotting our brains and turning us into violent killers).

 

[zeorhymer]

If the social media induced Tourettes becomes normalized/ignored, what's going to happen to the kids who did this in the first place to get attention? Maybe they'll grow out of it? Maybe they're stuck with it and they'll be miserable since that's what they used to get pity points. It's like all the awkward kids who are self identifying as plant/animals or whatever pronouns they invent. Once they step out into the real world, they'll quickly find that reality is not a kind mistress.

 

[DeafTourette]

My Aunt's Granddaughter-In-Law came down with this last year, think she's like 13 or 14. Dr. diagnosed it as social media combined with Covid lockdowns. Tiktok is the realization of what our parent's used to warn us about with TV and Videogames (e.g. rotting our brains and turning us into violent killers).

How do you know it's social media and not a genuine case of it? My tics didn't start to manifest until I was around 13. It happens with a lot of people.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

So what does this have to do with TikTok or social media?


Michelle Wacek was a TikTok fan years ago, back when the video-sharing app was called Musical.ly. “I went on it for a laugh,” she says. “And then I got sucked into the vortex.” She took part in lip-syncing challenges, and followed the influencer Evie Meg, who raises awareness about Tourette syndrome among her 14 million followers.

In April 2020, Wacek was messing around in the kitchen when her husband accidentally clipped her in the face. The then 25-year-old chef had a panic attack. “It triggered a PTSD response from a previous abusive relationship I was in,” she says.

Over the next few weeks, Wacek noticed that she was having tics. “They were just little noises,” she says. “Nothing to write home about.” She would scrunch up her nose, or huff. The tics escalated from sounds into words and phrases. Then the motor tics kicked in. “I started punching walls and throwing myself at things,” she says. By July, Wacek was having seizures. She had to stop work. “Being a chef with seizures is not safe at all,” she says.

Her GP referred her to a neurologist, who diagnosed her with functional neurological syndrome (FND). People with FND have a neurological condition that cannot be medically explained, but can be extremely debilitating. “In a general neurological clinic, around 30% of the conditions we see are not fully explainable,” says Dr Jeremy Stern, a neurologist with the charity Tourettes Action. In Wacek’s case, FND manifested in verbal and motor tics, not dissimilar from how Tourette syndrome appears to lay people, although the two conditions are distinct.

 

[DeafTourette]

So what does this have to do with TikTok or social media?


Michelle Wacek was a TikTok fan years ago, back when the video-sharing app was called Musical.ly. “I went on it for a laugh,” she says. “And then I got sucked into the vortex.” She took part in lip-syncing challenges, and followed the influencer Evie Meg, who raises awareness about Tourette syndrome among her 14 million followers.

In April 2020, Wacek was messing around in the kitchen when her husband accidentally clipped her in the face. The then 25-year-old chef had a panic attack. “It triggered a PTSD response from a previous abusive relationship I was in,” she says.

Over the next few weeks, Wacek noticed that she was having tics. “They were just little noises,” she says. “Nothing to write home about.” She would scrunch up her nose, or huff. The tics escalated from sounds into words and phrases. Then the motor tics kicked in. “I started punching walls and throwing myself at things,” she says. By July, Wacek was having seizures. She had to stop work. “Being a chef with seizures is not safe at all,” she says.

Her GP referred her to a neurologist, who diagnosed her with functional neurological syndrome (FND). People with FND have a neurological condition that cannot be medically explained, but can be extremely debilitating. “In a general neurological clinic, around 30% of the conditions we see are not fully explainable,” says Dr Jeremy Stern, a neurologist with the charity Tourettes Action. In Wacek’s case, FND manifested in verbal and motor tics, not dissimilar from how Tourette syndrome appears to lay people, although the two conditions are distinct.

Thank you!

 

[Haint]

How do you know it's social media and not a genuine case of it? My tics didn't start to manifest until I was around 13. It happens with a lot of people.

Don't know, not a Dr., just know they sent her to specialists and that's what they were told.

 

[Kenpachii]

Yeah ok, it's real not fake.

Here's a video before internet took off past dial up BBS. Which nobody used apart from those in the know and with the money.



Imagine having to live like that. It's extremely sad.

Imagine having this holy shit, i would not leave the house anymore.

 

[RoboFu]

It’s pure “ victim “ culture. All these people wanting so hard to be “different” in some way and it’s not just that but you have feel sorry for them as well.

it’s been around forever but social media seems to intensifies it.

 

[Bragr]

When I used to bother with Twitch I'd watch her vids. She was a genuine sweetheart, there was no way in hell she's faking it. Her attitude though was what made her streaming brilliant but I just wasn't into the games she played and eventually stopped using Twitch anyway. Just got to a point that I'd sit watching someone sitting for hours and realized that standing is kinda fun too.

Best streamer was the girl who streamed her stacking shelves on the night-shift. She didn't give a fuck. Her followers blew up and then some assholes started contacting the store and got her fired, she even streamed her firing. A total legend.

Sweetheart? she's the biggest preacher I have ever seen.

 

[Biff]

I'd bet dollars to donuts the highest ranking members of the CCP have seen a report on this and burst out laughing together for a solid minute. Xi peed himself a little (just a little).

Social media is so obviously our biggest weak point. It's only going to get worse.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Yeah ok, it's real not fake.

Here's a video before internet took off past dial up BBS. Which nobody used apart from those in the know and with the money.



Imagine having to live like that. It's extremely sad.

Yikes. Although got to admit it is kind of funny for the first bit.

Skimming Tourettes online, most people dont do the verbal shouting thing, but it does seem that when they do it's foul language. Then googling it some more, some post said it might have to do with an issue controlling anger and the brain isnt wired properly to control it so the guy has no choice but to yell out someone vulgar.

I guess that makes sense at first, but I still dont see the link why someone like the guy in the video would be swearing at random people or at his own mom calling her a slut or saying overly sexual things to female classmates. If there's something pissing you off in life, youd think the trigger would be shouting at the cause, not at any random person walking around. And it doesn't seem like his mom or classmates would be the cause. So it's something else IMO. For example near the end it looks like he's buying a bus or train ticket and he's cursing at the ticket counter. I dont see how the man working the booth would be a trigger.

 

[Ionian]

Yikes. Although got to admit it is kind of funny for the first bit.

Skimming Tourettes online, most people dont do the verbal shouting thing, but it does seem that when they do it's foul language. Then googling it some more, some post said it might have to do with an issue controlling anger and the brain isnt wired properly to control it so the guy has no choice but to yell out someone vulgar.

I guess that makes sense at first, but I still dont see the link why someone like the guy in the video would be swearing at random people or at his own mom calling her a slut or saying overly sexual things to female classmates. If there's something pissing you off in life, youd think the trigger would be shouting at the cause, not at any random person walking around. And it doesn't seem like his mom or classmates would be the cause. So it's something else IMO. For example near the end it looks like he's buying a bus or train ticket and he's cursing at the ticket counter. I dont see how the man working the booth would be a trigger.

They did a follow-up doc when he's an adult. It's still kinda funny but depressing. It's worth the watch.

He does laugh at it himself but is trying to live with it. His group meetings with other sufferers, one starts and they all go off. They all laugh about it but I can't imagine having to live with that. It looks like utter torment.

 

[DeafTourette]

Yikes. Although got to admit it is kind of funny for the first bit.

Skimming Tourettes online, most people dont do the verbal shouting thing, but it does seem that when they do it's foul language. Then googling it some more, some post said it might have to do with an issue controlling anger and the brain isnt wired properly to control it so the guy has no choice but to yell out someone vulgar.

I guess that makes sense at first, but I still dont see the link why someone like the guy in the video would be swearing at random people or at his own mom calling her a slut or saying overly sexual things to female classmates. If there's something pissing you off in life, youd think the trigger would be shouting at the cause, not at any random person walking around. And it doesn't seem like his mom or classmates would be the cause. So it's something else IMO. For example near the end it looks like he's buying a bus or train ticket and he's cursing at the ticket counter. I dont see how the man working the booth would be a trigger.

When I DO cuss, I don't.feel.anger and I'm not doing it in an angry way. I also don't shout at people.... FOR ME, it's just stating it matter of factly. The cussing, called coprolalia, isn't something that most TSers have. It's a small population of us.

Stress is usually a trigger for me and others with TS. Anxiety is also a trigger. Not people. A lot of us have comorbid disorders like depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, etc. So maybe if the TSer is ticcing sexual words AT a girl or woman, it's because he's feeling anxiety around a woman. SHE isn't the trigger but the anxiety we feel AROUND a person, place or thing.

I'm here if you have other questions. I've researched TS for the better part of 30 years. Not everything but I know a few things.

 

[Ionian]

Sweetheart? she's the biggest preacher I have ever seen.

She is a sweetheart, she streams despite her disability. More power to her.

What does she preach? People having the condition should have a voice? She doesn't do that, she talks about herself and experience. Educate yourself.

 

[Bragr]

She is a sweetheart, she streams despite her disability. More power to her.

What does she preach? People having the condition should have a voice? She doesn't do that, she talks about herself and experience. Educate yourself.

Give me a break with your condescending rubbish. When did I ever say "she shouldn't have a voice", that's your bullshit.

I'm not talking about her tourettes, that's just a small part of her stream, most of the time she is talking about stuff she has no idea about. She's the sort of person who will try to "explain" the entire history of architecture based on looking at a picture of a rock. She's a complete blockhead who loves "explaining" everything to everyone. A preacher. She's the female version of the guy who thinks he's Mike Tyson after training for 1 week at boxing, and he has to "explain" boxing to his classmates every day because of his ego.

 

[Ionian]

Give me a break with your condescending rubbish. When did I ever say "she shouldn't have a voice", that's your bullshit.

I'm not talking about her tourettes, that's just a small part of her stream, most of the time she is talking about stuff she has no idea about. She's the sort of person who will try to "explain" the entire history of architecture based on looking at a picture of a rock. She's a complete blockhead who loves "explaining" everything to everyone. A preacher. She's the female version of the guy who thinks he's Mike Tyson after training for 1 week at boxing, and he has to "explain" boxing to his classmates every day because of his ego.

Give me a break, your an A+ troll.

You compare her to 'Mike Tyson, a legend?'.., hahahahaha.

She graciously explains tourettes. Sucks for you I guess.

 

[Bragr]

Give me a break, your an A+ troll.

You compare her to 'Mike Tyson, a legend?'.., hahahahaha.

She graciously explains tourettes. Sucks for you I guess.

You have the worst reading comprehension I have ever witnessed. Absolutely everything I said went straight over your head, I'm not talking about tourettes, I'm talking about personality.

 

[Ionian]

You have the worst reading comprehension I have ever witnessed. Absolutely everything I said went straight over your head, I'm not talking about tourettes, I'm talking about personality.

Your avatar is suitable. Just put me on ignore please.

 

[Bragr]

Your avatar is suitable. Just put me on ignore please.

You are either her cousin or something or never actually watched her. White knights assemble! Defend her honor!

 

[DeepBreath87]

I have Tourette Syndrome... Diagnosed at 15 over 30 years ago. Hence the second half of my username.

Anyway... The brain is amazing and we still don't fully understand it. These kids really want to feel special and subconsciously began to exhibit some of the symptoms of TS ... Because they saw TikTokers with it and they developed the same tics.

I find this fascinating! A little troubling but fascinating still.

We used to want to emulate positive traits saw in others to feel special. Now we emulate their mental illnesses. I’d say that says something about our culture.

 

[Ionian]

You are either her cousin or something or never actually watched her. White knights assemble! Defend her honor!

I've told you I watched her and no not related. Blindness and the inalienability to read is also a struggle for some when it comes to reading forum posts. Those people need to seek help now before it's too late and they make stupid posts.

 

[Bragr]

I've told you I watched her and no not related.

I can't believe you answered seriously about this.

 

[Ionian]

I can't believe you answered seriously about this.

And you didn't read or quote my entire post. I was clear with my opinion, very sorry about that.

 

[DeafTourette]

We used to want to emulate positive traits saw in others to feel special. Now we emulate their mental illnesses. I’d say that says something about our culture.

Tourette isn't a mental illness. WTF?!?

 

[IntentionalPun]

Not shocking; vocal fry is another illness women develop when they come into contact with a woman who has it.

 

[DeepBreath87]

Tourette isn't a mental illness. WTF?!?

How did you interpret that post that way? I said there was a time when young people tried to take on the positive traits they saw in successful people. Today, kids are acting like they have Tourette’s because they saw it on TicToc. Nowhere did I suggest Tourette’s wasn’t a mental illness.

 

[DeafTourette]

How did you interpret that post that way? I said there was a time when young people tried to take on the positive traits they saw in successful people. Today, kids are acting like they have Tourette’s because they saw it on TicToc. Nowhere did I suggest Tourette’s wasn’t a mental illness.

You said "Now we emulate their mental illnesses" ... Implying that TS is a mental illness and that they're (the viewer) emulating having a mental illness. If they're unconsciously emulating a specific TSer, then I think you'd mean they're exhibiting a mental illness. Not emulating one.

 

[clem84]

We used to want to emulate positive traits saw in others to feel special. Now we emulate their mental illnesses. I’d say that says something about our culture.

I'll just state the obvious here but yeah, they do this to stand out. These kids want to stand out in a crowd of millions of other kids, at any cost, so they do this. It's pretty disturbing that our culture is going in that direction.

 

[DeepBreath87]

You said "Now we emulate their mental illnesses" ... Implying that TS is a mental illness and that they're (the viewer) emulating having a mental illness. If they're unconsciously emulating a specific TSer, then I think you'd mean they're exhibiting a mental illness. Not emulating one.

Tourette’s isn’t contagious. So if someone is demonstrating the symptoms from watching TicToc, they’re emulating the behavior. Tourette’s Syndrome is genetically inherited, not transmitted via the internet.

 

[DeafTourette]

Tourette’s isn’t contagious. So if someone is demonstrating the symptoms from watching TicToc, they’re emulating the behavior. Tourette’s Syndrome is genetically inherited, not transmitted via the internet.

Dude... Look at my username. I know what Tourette is! I HAVE IT! LOL!

And it's not a behavior. It's literally a disorder of the nervous system. I know I'm harping on your wording but words mean things. They're emulating the tics... Whether consciously or subconsciously, they're trying to fill a hole in their personalities.

As an aside, one Touretter can pick up the tics he or she has Witnessed in another Touretter. It's weird and the science is still fuzzy on why we have the tics we have, just that certain neurochemicals, like dopamine, cause the overall disorder.

 

[Ionian]

Remember the tourettes guy that was massive all those years ago? Always found him so unbelievably over the top and stupid and couldn't believe his popularity. Seemed completely fake to me.

Wow. So long ago kids have grown and gone to college since and why did he have a neck brace? Looked like an early incarnation of trailer park boys.

 

[Ionian]

Remember the tourettes guy that was massive all those years ago? Always found him so unbelievably over the top and stupid and couldn't believe his popularity. Seemed completely fake to me.

Wow. So long ago kids have grown and gone to college since and why the neck brace. Looked like an early incarnation of trailer park boys which would explain something.

 

[The Incarnation]

Weird shit. Seems similar to how one would pick up an accent.

On another note, Piers Morgan needs to get on TicTok and turn everyone into him.

Peak civilization.

 

[Bernd Lauert]

If you watch Sweet Anita long enough you'll start getting the urge to smack your lips. It's how the brain works.

 

[Ionian]

Accidently double post.