People with Tourette syndrome, like Billie Eilish, use everything in their power to suppress tics – this exhausting process is key to treatment

A neurologist writing about Tourette syndrome describes tic suppression as an exhausting, temporary act of control, not evidence that a diagnosis is fake. Billie Eilish's public acknowledgment of her Tourette's in 2019 drew both support and skepticism, with some pointing to tic-free interviews as proof she was exaggerating.

The piece explains that tics wax and wane with stress, focus, and fatigue, and that many people suppress them for hours in public only to release them at home. Treatments like comprehensive behavioral intervention for tics teach people to recognize warning sensations and substitute competing responses, per the American Academy of Neurology's 2019 recommendation.

The author frames Eilish's visibility as useful for reducing stigma and encouraging earlier evaluation, alongside standard mentions of medication and, rarely, deep brain stimulation.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.