IN popular culture, Tourette syndrome is often simplified to a poorly timed foul mouth, but this is only a fraction of the story.

Characterised by a variety of vocal and physical tics, the often misunderstood neurological disorder affects around half a million people in the UK.

Coprolalia – outbursts of obscene language – only affects around ten per cent of Tourette’s sufferers.

Tics an be small and simple such as blinking or clearing your throat. Others can be a lot more vocal, such as barking or uttering words and phrases.

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For an individual to be diagnosed with Tourette’s, one must exhibit at least two motor tics and one vocal tic, meaning that the process of reaching a diagnosis can take several years.

Motor tics can include eye rolling and grimacing, while vocal tics can consist of uttering random words and phrases, grunting and making animal noises.

Tourette’s is a largely genetic condition for which there is no cure, and no one medication has been deemed best suited to treat its symptoms.

For reasons unknown to scientists, Tourette’s is a lot more common in males than females by up to four times.

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Sufferers are also known to suffer from anxiety and depression, primarily due to being unable to manage their symptoms. Shockingly, those with Tourette’s are four times more likely than members of the general population to die by suicide.

Additionally, the physical strains of constant muscle twitches and sudden, jerky movements can become debilitating, especially when tics continue into adulthood.