Scarlett’s on a tic disorder mission
Documentary looks at the rise in teenage Tourette’s. Rachael Davis talks to Gogglebox star who is an ex-sufferer
SINCE the start of the Covid-19 pandemic paediatricians and child mental health practitioners have seen a sharp rise in tic disorders among children and teens.
They also noticed an increase in sudden-onset tics in children who had not previously experienced them, particularly girls.
In Tuesday’s Channel 4 documentary Britain’s Tourette’s Mystery: Scarlett Moffatt Investigates, the ex-Gogglebox star meets people recently diagnosed with the condition, scientists who studied latest figures and a group of Tourette’s TikTok influencers with Tourette’s.
It’s a personal journey for Scarlett, 31, as she developed facial tics when she was 12 and had symptoms for two years as a result of suffering from Bell’s palsy.
She said: “It was quite a scary time as I remember not feeling in control of my own body. When I was at school and had facial tics, I would try to suppress them so I didn’t stand out, which is like holding a hiccup in. As soon as I’d get home, they would all come out.
“I remember thinking, ‘God, is this ever going to stop? Am I ever going be in control again?”’
In the documentary, a doctor tells Scarlett that boys are usually four times more likely to be diagnosed with traditional Tourette’s.
However, medics saw an increase in young girls presenting with tic disorders and suggested this may have been caused by loneliness, isolation and anxiety during the Covid lockdowns.
Scarlett said: “Lots of young boys were gaming in lockdown so they were still socialising, still had a purpose to get up and still had a hobby. Young girls tend to be more social butterflies then, all of a sudden, were confined in the house. During lockdown, children and teenagers were left to their own devices and we didn’t realise the impact it would have on young people.”
A hunger for social interaction led many young people to turn to social media where, particularly on TikTok, Tourette’s influencers surged in popularity.
Viewers will see a distressing moment where TikTok star Ryan Stevens suffers a painful tic attack which leaves him convulsing on the ground. He describes the sensation as like being hit with a cattle prod.
Scarlett said: “The thing I want to get across is that the media has portrayed tics and Tourette’s to be sort of a funny disorder. At times it can be entertaining but it’s also serious and affects people’s relationships, lives and even getting a job.
● Britain’s Tourette’s Mystery: Scarlett Moffatt Investigates is on Channel 4 on Tuesday at 10pm.