By Georgia FreeThursday 11 May 2023Hope DriveHealth and WellbeingReading Time: 1 minute
Last week was Tourette Syndrome Awareness Week – which is a condition I admittedly don’t know a whole lot about. But, this lack of education and awareness is proving dangerous to people with the condition.
Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a neurological condition which causes people to have tics, which are sudden involuntary repeated sounds or movements.
Only 28 per cent of people with Tourette Syndrome say that their encounters with first responders are positive, often being mistaken for being intoxicated, erratic or even violent. Rose, who has TS has been mistaken for shoplifting and detained by police while out shopping.
Rose joined Hope Drive to share more about the daily challenges of having TS and how the public, including first responders, can better understand and respond to people who may be experiencing tics in public.
“Just be really careful of not judging people. Stand back and have a look at what’s happening. And, if anything, come and stand with us and support us,” she said.
“Always start with kindness.”
Listen to Rose’s full interview on Hope Drive in the player above.
For more information, visit Tourette Syndrome Association of Australia on Instagram.