Patient voice: Tourette’s syndrome

Until the mid sixties of the past century Tourette’s syndrome was classified as a psychiatric disorder based on occasional stress-related exacerbation, voluntary inhibition, and the frequent changes in the site and nature of tics. Recently many organic factors have been identified, in particular a genetic susceptibility and partial response to pharmacological treatment. Adult onset tic disorders represent an under recognised condition that is more common than generally declared. How one patient developed Tourette’s syndrome following shingles The patient was 72 years old when she went to her GP after developing an unpleasant and painful rash around her eyes. She was diagnosed with shingles