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Question 91: I have a quick question for you. There is a young man who lives near me, walks down the street late at night, usually swearing loudly, has been hit by a drunk neighbour. When he hangs out near a convenience store, young people have laughed at him. I have quietly and gently spoken to them about how they would feel if they couldn't help doing something and people laughed at them and this has helped a bit. I'm please that he says 'Hi, miss' to me and smiles when he passes. Should I approach him about TS (I don't even know if that is a disorder affecting him)? Is there anything I could be doing in the community or suggesting to him to make his life more comfortable in the community?

It's truly hard to believe that in this day and age, people can be so uninformed, ignorant and hurtful. B.A., ON, Canada.

The quick answer to your quick question is that I think it is up to you. You may end up being one of the most important persons he ever meets because you open his eyes to this world of knowledge and support............or you may just piss him off because he doesn't like to think about it :) It's hard to say in blanket terms what to do -- and in a situation like this it is difficult to be 'coy' (i.e. leaving a Q/A accidentally on his desk or something to that effect). You probably pretty much need to do it upfront or not at all.

If you wanted to suggest a support group meeting to him, though, there are monthly gatherings that occur in your area; the Tourette Syndrome Foundation of Canada could fill you in on exactly when and where. I suppose a 'coy' tactic would be to ask the store owner if you could post a flyer in the window announcing these meetings and announce a little loudly what it is for and what TS is while this individual is within earshot..........

Hope this helps! And while it is true enough that ignorance still exists, we are also fortunate enough in this world to have people like you in the world reducing that ignorance one convenience store at a time!! :) Thank you so much for that, B.A

Take good care; enjoy your weekend!

Dr. Dunc.

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