Ljones's blog

What is normal? Everyone has a gut feeling about what "normal" is, but actually defining it is a little more difficult. No words seem to encapsulate what normal is, and it seems to change depending on where and who you are. Dictionary.com defines normal in several ways. In a psychological sense, normal is: "a) approximately average in any psychological trait, as intelligence, personality, or emotional adjustment; b) free from any mental disorder; sane" [1]. Biologically, it means "a) free from any infection or other form of disease or malformation, or from experimental therapy or manipulation; b) of natural occurrence" [1]. Statistically, normal is defined as "the average or mean" [1]. In everyday usage, normal is

At times Lowell Handler has been a pot head and a learner, a disruptive student and a teacher, a husband, a son, and a brother. He has traveled around the country, camping where ever he landed for the night, and he has worked closely with Dr. Oliver Sacks, publishing several pieces as both an author and a photographer. He also happens to have Tourette's, although it was not until he was much older that his wild movements and sudden outbursts were diagnosed.

 

Tourette’s syndrome is a highly complex behavioral disorder. There is no real “typical” case of Tourette’s as it is extremely individualized and changes within each person who has it throughout their life. Some who are afflicted with very severe symptoms’ lives are incredibly affected by the syndrome, while most patients go undiagnosed for years. Are the behaviors that characterize Tourette’s syndrome really debilitating? Or are they just different?

 

HISTORY OF TOURETTE’S SYNDROME