Unwanted thoughts and compulsions

• An aspect of Tourette Syndrome that many find very difficult to talk about, is unwanted thoughts which may be intrusive and troublesome

• Unwanted thoughts may actually be in direct opposition to the person's preferred attitudes & personal feelings and may be thus very distracting and disturbing

• Unwanted thoughts may involve or give rise to strong compulsions or impulsive urges to respond to them and may be very stressful to suppress

• Some people with Tourette Syndrome experience unwanted compulsions to place themselves in risky situations

• Compulsions to touch moving machinery or approach hazardous situations have in some cases resulted in individuals sustaining injuries

• There is a close association between obsessive thought processes and compulsions which may be responsible for complex tics and ritualised behaviours