The Rani Mukherjee-starrer Hichki’s trailer sure got us interested, mainly due to snippets of the actress’ brilliant performance. But on the outset, Hichki’s theme of a determined teacher trying to change the status quo against all odds is not new to cinema. We have seen it in Mohabbatein, Freedom Writers, To Sir with Love, etc. What makes the movie different is its choice of impediment that the teacher has to overcome…and it’s not only a class full of unruly students. Read our Hichki review. At a personal level, Rani Mukherjee’s character also has to overcome her physical limitations that makes her breakout into ‘tics’ or involuntary vocalisations since she’s suffering from a neurological disorder called Tourette’s syndrome. If it’s the first time you have ever heard of the term, here are some things you need to know about the disorder.

What is Tourette syndrome?

Tourette is a neurological problem that starts in early childhood or adolescence. The Tourette Association of America describes as a part of Tic disorders that are characterised by motor tics, vocal tics and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Although Tourette can get better or worse in the course of time, it is often a life-long condition. Tourette is named after French physician Georges Albert Édouard Brutus Gilles de la Tourette who was the first person to systematically describe nine cases of the disorder when he was a medical student.

What are tics?

Tics are involuntary movements caused by muscle spasms seen in people with Tourette. Simple ones include blinking, turning the head, shrugging, stamping foot, clearing throat, sniffing, coughing, mumbling, flicking, grunting, etc. Some tics are complicated like touching, lying down, push ups, stepping backwards, imitating sounds and walking in a certain manner. In some cases, tics can also manifest as obscene swear words. The sufferers find themselves in embarrassing situations after blurting sexually explicit words. People with Tourette can't control their tics, which makes them socially reclusive. Here are some examples of motor tics.

What are the symptoms of Tourette syndrome?

Diagnosis of Tourette is done by observing the symptoms, which, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), manifest at 5-10 years of age. The first signs are motor tics that occur in the head and neck area. The tics tend to worsen during stressful situations and improve when the person is calm or focused.

How is it treated?

As of today, here is no cure for Tourette, unfortunately. But there are treatment options that will help sufferers manage the symptoms of the disorder. If the tics don’t get in the way of their day-to-day functions, people with the condition don’t have to seek treatment. However, if the tics cause injury, pain or interfere with daily life, treatment has to be sought.

What are the risk factors?

A lot about the disease is still shrouded in mystery. Science doesn’t offer us a concrete answer about the cause of the disease, but it is understood that it is passed on genetically from the parent to the child. Boys who carry the gene are more likely to suffer from the condition than girls. Tourette can also be a caused by the way a chemical named dopamine is metabolised in the brain. Research has also linked Tourette with smoking, low birth weight, infections in childhood and pregnancy complications.

How does it affect the sufferer?

People with Tourette are often at risk of being ridiculed and bullied for their behavioural tics. The Tourette Association of America states that if children with Tourette are not protected from bullying, “they are more likely to develop poor social skills, underachieve academically and suffer from low self-esteem.”

The story is based on a real-life Tourette’s suffered Brad Cohen is also a motivational speaker who has written a book about his experiences titled Front of the Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had. Like Rani Mukherjee’s character Brad also had to go overcome many limitations posed by his condition. That’s why a movie like Hichki will help create some awareness about the disease so that the others become more accepting of people with Tourette syndrome.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 24, 2018 12:36 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).