A bit different

Christiane Fux studied journalism and psychology in Hamburg. The experienced medical editor has been writing magazine articles, news and factual texts on all conceivable health topics since 2001. In addition to her work for, Christiane Fux is also active in prose. Her first crime novel was published in 2012, and she also writes, designs and publishes her own crime plays.

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Curious looks, stupid sayings: life with Tourette is sometimes a gauntlet. “No reason to hide,” says Marcel Peters *, who has been with tics since childhood

Marcel Peters energetically pulls the zipper of his black outdoor jacket. It's uncomfortable on this windy October day in Rostock. “When winter comes, the symptoms worsen,” says the 34-year-old. Then his hand flutters to the side and his arm stretches out, an involuntary movement that belongs to him like the dark curly hair. Or like the noise it makes at irregular intervals: a sound, half barking, half coughing. “People regularly wish me health,” says Peters, winking through his narrow, rimless glasses. Marcel Peters has Tourette syndrome, a neurobiological disorder that is associated with tics. Grimacing, hopping, clearing your throat, fidgeting - what the tics look like differs from person to person. “Some even get infected from other Tourette sufferers and develop the same symptoms after an encounter,” says Peters.

Electric eel on two legs

Like most people with Tourette, he can suppress the tics for a while - but then later they can discharge particularly violently. “You can imagine it like a hiccup or a sneeze - at some point it has to come out.” Behind the startling symptoms is a motor control disorder in the brain. Certain filter mechanisms that normally suppress unnecessary movements fail.

When strolling through the pedestrian zone, his sweeping movements repeatedly attract the attention of passers-by. And the saleswoman at the counter in the bakery raises her eyebrows as a repeated vocal tic discharges. Peters has to live with oblique looks and stupid sayings: “They called me the electric eel at school.” He is doing well compared to other people affected. It is particularly bad for Tourette sufferers who suffer from coprolalia, the involuntary uttering of obscene or insulting words. For some, offensive gestures are used instead of swear words. "If someone keeps yelling 'Heil Hitler' - it can cause trouble," says Peters.

"You don't call me an asshole at all?"

A few years ago hardly anyone knew anything about Tourette's syndrome, but that has now changed. “But many have a distorted picture. Because only the most difficult cases make it into the media, ”says Peters. A paramedic once asked the triathlete after falling off his bike: “What, you have Tourette? And then you don't call me an asshole at all? "

Because of such experiences, Peters is involved in associations and self-help groups and speaks to journalists. For him, it is about correcting the image in people's minds. "Living with Tourette requires one thing above all else: self-confidence," he says and skewers a piece of cheesecake. It only lands in his mouth after a short detour.

"Damn, there is something wrong with me"

Peters went through a classic Tourette career: first tics in childhood that intensified during puberty. At first he still manages to suppress them at school - a daily show of strength. In the afternoon, the tics really start, the parents react in exasperation. It does not occur to anyone that he does not deliberately make faces. “It was really bad when my friends asked me about it. Then I thought: 'Damn it, something is wrong with me'.

Because of depression, Peters ends up in psychiatry. “That was my salvation,” he says today. Because there they have made him mentally fit enough that he can deal with the disorder more confidently and accept it as part of his life. “Otherwise I wouldn't have managed to do that with women either,” he says. "The tics make you feel unattractive at first."

Finding a partner is a particular challenge for people with Tourette. Who wants someone who twitches all the time? Most people get used to it pretty quickly. And if the tic really annoys your partner, you just go to another room. Tourette, says Peters, made him more understanding of human weaknesses. He also primarily recognizes diversity in people with physical or mental problems. "I don't pigeonhole anyone."

Life at speed

Peters doesn't let Tourette slow him down: he works as a project manager at a charitable institution, lives with his girlfriend and has a ten-year-old son. In his free time he does volunteer work and regularly plays soccer with a group of socially disadvantaged boys. And he also sells cargo bikes. A life like speed. You can also achieve anything with Tourette - that is the message that he not only wants to convey, but also lives.

* Name changed by the editor

DVDs with detailed information and expert interviews on the subject of tics and Tourette are available from the Tic & Tourette Syndrome Association: www.iv-ts.de

Another DVD offer is aimed specifically at laypeople such as those affected, relatives or educators. CME training is available on CD for doctors and licensed therapists.

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