
Other causes of vocal outbursts
- Chronic Vocal Tic Syndrome
- Drug or Alcohol Withdrawal
- Medications
- Multi-infarct Dementia
- Vascular Dementia
Why do we curse?
What is Tourette syndrome?
What is the most common tic in Tourette's syndrome?
About this website

What causes excessive cursing?
It is known to be caused by brain dysfunction, but the details are, as yet, hazy. One hypothesis, described by psychologist Timothy Jay in his book "Why We Curse" (John Benjamins Pub Co. 2000), suggests that it's caused by damage to the amygdala, a region of the brain that normally mitigates anger and aggression.
What is the disease where you blurt out words?
Overview. Tourette (too-RET) syndrome is a disorder that involves repetitive movements or unwanted sounds (tics) that can't be easily controlled. For instance, you might repeatedly blink your eyes, shrug your shoulders or blurt out unusual sounds or offensive words.
Does Billie Eilish has Tourette's syndrome?
When Letterman asked if he could ask her more about it, she said, "Sure ... I have Tourette syndrome." She went on to say, "I'm very happy to talk about it. I actually really love answering questions about it, because it's very, very interesting, and I am incredibly confused by it, and I don't get it."
What do ADHD tics look like?
Tics are characterized by repeated, sudden, jerky, involuntary movements of one's face, shoulders, hands, legs or other body parts. Movements may include eye blinking, shoulder shrugging, neck twisting, facial grimacing, sticking out tongue, flaring nostrils, clenching fists, jerking arms, kicking, and curling toes.
Why do I randomly blurt out words?
If you have Tourette syndrome, you make unusual movements or sounds, called tics. You have little or no control over them. Common tics are throat-clearing and blinking. You may repeat words, spin, or, rarely, blurt out swear words.
What mental disorder is rapid speech?
Pressured speech is commonly seen as a symptom of bipolar disorder. When you have pressured speech, you have an extreme need to share your thoughts, ideas, or comments. It's often a part of experiencing a manic episode. The speech will come out rapidly, and it doesn't stop at appropriate intervals.
What causes coprolalia?
What Causes Coprolalia? The most commonly accepted explanation of what causes coprolalia involves the same “faulty wiring” of the inhibitory mechanism of the brain that causes involuntary movements that typify TS.
Is Logorrhea a disorder?
Leukorrhea is a normal type of vaginal discharge present in both pregnant and non-pregnant people. It is an odorless discharge that is clear or milky in color.
Are people with Tourette's really more likely to swear? - Quora
Answer (1 of 30): I once worked in the development department of a nonprofit mental health center. My first interviews went very well and I was looking forward to working with my new boss. We would be side by side on chairs with wheels. Tables were placed on every wall, and a bank of monitors a...
Why do people with tourettes swear? - Quora
Answer (1 of 5): Right. To start of with I have to tell you that 90% of people with Tourette’s Syndrome do not swear. Only 10% have coprolalia - the swearing side of Tourette’s. This isn’t well known either to the public or to the medical community who are decades behind on their knowledge of thi...
What is Coprolalia, cursing and inappropriate language gestures
What is Coprolalia? Coprolalia is the medical term used to describe one of the most puzzling and socially stigmatizing symptoms of Tourette Syndrome—the involuntary outburst of obscene words or socially inappropriate and derogatory remarks.
Five Things about Tourette | CDC
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Who Is Affected?
Studies that included children with diagnosed and undiagnosed TS have estimated that 1 of every 162 children have TS. In the United States, 1 of every 360 children 6 through 17 years of age have been diagnosed with TS, based on parent report. 3,4 This suggests that about half of children with TS are not diagnosed.
Why are tics worse?
Tics usually are worse during times that are stressful or exciting. They tend to improve when a person is calm or focused on an activity. The types of tics and how often a person has tics changes a lot over time. Even though the symptoms might appear, disappear, and reappear, these conditions are considered chronic.
How do you know if you have Tourette syndrome?
Symptoms of Tourette syndrome. The main symptoms of TS are tics. Symptoms usually begin when a child is 5 to 10 years of age. The first symptoms often are motor tics that occur in the head and neck area. Tics usually are worse during times that are stressful or exciting. They tend to improve when a person is calm or focused on an activity.
What is TS in children?
TS often occurs with other conditions. Most children diagnosed with TS also have been diagnosed with at least one additional mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Is there a cure for TS?
Although there is no cure for TS, there are treatments available to help manage the tics. Many people with TS have tics that do not get in the way of their daily life and, therefore, do not need any treatment. However, medication and behavioral treatments are available if tics cause pain or injury; interfere with school, work, ...
Is TS genetic?
Doctors and scientists do not know the exact cause of TS. Research suggests that it is an inherited genetic condition. That means it is passed on from parent to child through genes.
Can TS become worse?
However, many people with TS experience tics into adulthood and, in some cases, tics can become worse during adulthood. 1
What is the tic of Tourette syndrome?
The entertainment industry often depicts those with Tourette syndrome as being social misfits whose only tic is coprolalia, which has furthered stigmatization and the public's misunderstanding of those with Tourette's. The coprolalic symptoms of Tourette's are also fodder for radio and television talk shows.
How many times more likely are people with Tourette's to have coprolalia?
The same study found that the chance of having coprolalia increased linearly with the number of comorbid conditions: patients with four or five other conditions—in addition to tics—were four to six times more likely to have coprolalia than persons with only Tourette's.
What is the name of the coprophenomenon?
Coprolalia is one type of coprophenomenon. Other coprophenomena include the related symptoms of copropraxia, involuntary actions such as performing obscene or forbidden gestures, and coprographia, making obscene writings or drawings.
Is coprolalia a sign of Tourette syndrome?
Coprolalia is an occasional characteristic of Tourette syndrome, although it is not required for a diagnosis of Tourette's. In Tourette syndrome, compulsive swearing can be uncontrollable and undesired by the person uttering the phrases. Involuntary outbursts, such as racial or ethnic slurs in the company of those most offended by such remarks, can be particularly embarrassing. The phrases uttered by a person with coprolalia do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of the person.
Is coprolalia a tic disorder?
Coprolalia is an occasional characteristic of tic disorders, in particular Tourette syndrome, although it is not required for a diagnosis of Tourette's and only about 10% of Tourette's patients exhibit coprolalia. It is not unique to tic disorders; it is also a rare symptom of other neurological disorders.
Is Tourette syndrome a paucity?
There is a paucity of epidemiological studies of Tourette syndrome; ascertainment bias affects clinical studies. Studies on people with Tourette's often "came from tertiary referral samples, the sickest of the sick". Further, the criteria for a diagnosis of Tourette's were changed in 2000, when the impairment criterion was removed from the DSM-IV-TR for all tic disorders, resulting in increased diagnoses of milder cases. Additionally, many clinical studies suffer from small sample size. These factors combine to render older estimates of coprolalia—biased towards clinical populations of the more severe cases—outdated.
Can coprolalia be a sign language disorder?
The phrases uttered by a person with coprolalia do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of the person. Cases of deaf Tourette patients swearing in sign language have been described. Coprolalia is not unique to tic disorders; it is also a rare symptom of other neurological disorders.
What are the symptoms of Tourette syndrome?
You have little or no control over them. Common tics are throat-clearing and blinking. You may repeat words, spin, or, rarely, blurt out swear words.
Is Tourette syndrome more common in boys or girls?
The cause of Tourette syndrome is unknown. It is more common in boys than girls. The tics usually start in childhood and may be worst in the early teens. Many people eventually outgrow them.
What is Huntington's disease?
Huntington's disease is a hereditary disorder caused by a faulty gene for a protein called huntingtin. See a picture of...
What is the name of the brain disorder that causes seizures?
Seizure (Epilepsy ) Epilepsy is a brain disorder in which the person has seizures. There are two kinds of seizures, focal and generalized. There are many causes of epilepsy . Treatment of epilepsy (seizures) depends upon the cause and type of seizures experienced.
What is the name of the mental illness that features schizophrenia and a mood disorder, either major depression or bipolar disorder?
Schizoaffective disorder is a mental illness that features schizophrenia and a mood disorder, either major depression or bipolar disorder. Symptoms include agitation, suicidal thoughts, little need for sleep, delusions, hallucinations, and poor motivation.
What are the health problems that alcoholism causes?
It can cause myriad health problems, including cirrhosis of the liver, birth defects, heart disease, stroke, psychological problems, and dementia. Counseling and a few medications can be effective for alcoholism treatment.
Is Pick's disease a genetic disease?
Frontotemporal dementia used to be referred to as Pick's disease. Frontotemporal dementia has a strong genetic component. Symptoms of frontotemporal dementia include changes in behavior or problems with language. There is no treatment that slows the progression of frontotemporal dementia.
What is factitious disorder?
Factitious Disorder is an obsession with being sick. Unlike hypochondria, in which patients actually think they are ill, individuals with Factitious Disorder intentionally make themselves sick or play sick for attention. They often tell elaborate stories about medical complications, visit hospitals, tamper with their medications, and inflict harm upon themselves for attention.
Why is depersonalization so rare?
Depersonalization is also very rare, effecting less than .5% of the population. It is caused by traumatic events. The reason depersonalization is so “crazy” is because there are no treatments. No medications are effective on the disorder, and psychotherapy seems to only help some patients, but not all.
Is OCD a disorder?
OCD is another widely known disorder, but few understand it. Firstly, OCD isn’t an obsession with cleanliness. It can manifest in being clean, but that’s only one aspect. Obsessive-Compulsive patients are often plagued with recurring thoughts, worries, and fears that can only be relieved by repeating tasks (cleaning, touching surfaces, making noises, etc.) Obsessive-Compulsive individuals can realize their fears are unreasonable, but the anxiety will keep mounting unless they relieve them by their repetitive tasks.
Is mental illness biased?
Throughout history, mental disorders have been regarded with fear, bias, and ignorance. Though medicine has drastically improved for the mentally ill in the last century, mainstream society still has a relatively uninformed and biased view against individuals with mental disorders. This is particularly harmful because every year up to ¼ ...
Is factoritious disorder a cure?
Factitious Disorder is rare in adults, and occurs in less than .5% of the population. The disorder stems from past trauma. There is no cure or treatment for the disorder, though psychotherapy can be effective in limiting the behavior. Most individuals with the disorder are not receptive to treatment.
Why do we curse?
2000), suggests that it's caused by damage to the amygdala, a region of the brain that normally mitigates anger and aggression. Because cursing is a form of verbal aggression, amygdala damage could result in the inability to control aggression, ...
What is Tourette syndrome?
Despite the common misconception that Tourette's syndrome is defined by uncontrollable and socially inappropriate cursing, only 10 percent of Tourette's patients actually exhibit that symptom. Most have milder tics like rapid blinking, shoulder-shrugging and throat-clearing.
What is the most common tic in Tourette's syndrome?
Most have milder tics like rapid blinking, shoulder-shrugging and throat-clearing. Coprolalia, the involuntary utterance of obscenities, profanities and derogatory remarks, is an extreme example of a vocal tic experienced by some people with Tourette's.

Symptoms of Tourette Syndrome
Diagnosing Tourette Syndrome
- There is no single test, like a blood test, to diagnose TS. Health professionals look at the person’s symptoms to diagnose TS and other tic disorders. The tic disorders differ from each other in terms of the type of tic present (motor or vocal, or combination of the both), and how long the symptoms have lasted. TS can be diagnosed if a person has both motor and vocal tics, and has …
Treatment For Tourette Syndrome
- Although there is no cure for TS, there are treatments available to help manage the tics. Many people with TS have tics that do not get in the way of their daily life and, therefore, do not need any treatment. However, medication and behavioral treatments are available if tics cause pain or injury; interfere with school, work, or social life; or cause stress. Learn more about treatments »
Other Concerns and Conditions
- TS often occurs with other conditions. Most children diagnosed with TS also have been diagnosed with at least one additional mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It is important to find out if a person with TS has any other conditions, and treat those condition…
Risk Factors and Causes
- Doctors and scientists do not know the exact cause of TS. Research suggests that it is an inherited genetic condition. That means it is passed on from parent to child through genes. Learn more about risk factors and causes » Learn about data and statistics on Tourette syndrome »
More Information
- Tourette Association of Americaexternal icon
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke -Tourette Syndromeexternal icon
- American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Facts for Families – Tic Disordersexternal icon
References
- American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: , fifth edition: DSM-5. Washington, DC; 2013.
- Bloch, MH, Leckman, JF. Clinical course of Tourette Syndrome. J Psychosom Res. 2009; 67(6): 497-501.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prevalence of diagnosed Tourette Syndrome in …
- American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: , fifth edition: DSM-5. Washington, DC; 2013.
- Bloch, MH, Leckman, JF. Clinical course of Tourette Syndrome. J Psychosom Res. 2009; 67(6): 497-501.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prevalence of diagnosed Tourette Syndrome in persons aged 6-17 years – United States, 2007. MMWRpdf iconMorb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2009; 58(21): 581-5.
- Bitsko, RH, Holbrook, JR, Visser, SN, Mink, JW, Zinner, SH, Ghandour, RM, Blumberg, SJ (2014). A National Profile of Tourette Syndrome, 2011-2012. J Dev Behav Pediatr 35(5), 317-322.