big brother and tourettes

[monkeemayhem]

I LOVE PETE- what a star he is!

(well, Im backing Glyn too but thats only because he lives near me!)

My question is though, do you think Pete is really that hyper or is he playing up for the cameras? (for example shouting and laughing into a pillow on last nights BB,he was fine before he did it and he made a point of closing the door so noone could hear him, you have to say its quite odd behaviour

PLEASE NOTE: Before i get replys of hate (?) from people who suffer from the condition/s Pete has, i have never known or been in contact with anyone who has tourettes or is hyperactive so i have no clue if the symptoms could be that severe! So you may enlighten me ABers!!!!

[kazzianne]

I have watched a few documentaries on Tourettes,and I went to school with a girl who had it.Now I have to admit that the second I saw him on TV i thought he was exaggerating for the camera's,and possibly didnt even have Tourettes,but I could be wrong.

[4getmenot]

I dont think he's playing up at all. His first night he was a bit hyper but I think thats just the way his nerves affected his tourettes. Ever since then he's calmed down a bit and relaxed.

[4getmenot]

And Petes symptons are not Severe at all compared to other sufferers. There is a well known documentry called 'Johns not mad'. You should watch that if you want to know about tourettes :-)

[joko]

doing a cross between lee evans and michael barrymore is not indicative of the usual tourettes symptoms.

nor is impersonating keop from battle of the planets and a girl from ally mcbeal (so i've been told)

i believe he is acting up

[unruliejulie]

I think he was very hyper going in and some of that was for the camera, but he can't keep that up for 13 weeks so we shall see. It is controlled by situations so when he is nervous, anxious or excited, it will become worse.There are varying degrees of Tourettes and i think he does have it pretty bad. I am uncomfortable with people laughing at it though, like the kids (my 14 year old thinks its highly amusing) but in the same respect, i'm hoping it will make the public more aware of what it actually is.

[wonderwoman1]

i actually doubted that he had it at all, but i definately think he is acting up...in saying that i want him to win!!!

[mccfluff]

i think he's he genuine but i guess we'll see in the coming weeks

[chazza]

Not sure if he is acting up but during the live streaming I watched as he sat there completely normally for ages without any outbursts or tics. Obviously this may be common with tourettes but it did make me suspicious

[monkeemayhem]

i think i did watch that program 4getmenot, i remember feeling desperatly sorry for him when he was in a high street and the looks of disgust and amusement he'd get- especially from the old giffers, it must be a very hard condition to live with, i don't remember the fella in that programme being so "off the wall" though. Pete is so full on crazy one minute and calm and cuddly the next (ie he was lying in Graces arms for ages last night and there was no tics or swearing from him).

[andy-hughes]

I know next to nothing about the condition, but as Pete has said, it is obviously stress-related. When he is relaxed, he has few tics or outbursts, but when he is more hyper or stressed, the tics and outbursts increase.

I was interested in his behaviour in the garden with the pillow - it appeared almost as a release mechanism to get all his stress out on his own, and then return to the house in a calmer state.

I was seriously against the notion of someone with Tourerttes entereing the BB house, but I can see that direct observation is going to be an education for the huge viewing audience, and that can only be a good thing. I would be seriously disgusted if I found Pete was a fraud or a plant.

[scoop1972]

Does anyone actually know why it's only swear words that tourettes sufferers shout?

[Nummy]

if anyone saw BBLB, dermot said that Pete is 100% at ease with his condition (and BB had to be sure of that otherwise they wouldn;t have put him in the house) and refuses to take medication for it.

over the coming weeks, he may have fewer outbursts as he relaxes in his envoronment, or may have more if it gets stressed about it.

he obviously has his own way of dealing with it ...and good on him for going into the house. he seems a lovely guy.

[Nummy]

scoop...it's not always swear words that's uttered...some sufferers just make noises.

only a minority of sufferers tand to develop coprolalia - generally the utterance of words socially inappropriate to a situation, commenly swear words. some sufferers will shout racist comments to ethnic minorities...they'll be completely appalled and embarrassed, but they can't help it.

[Nummy]

he most frequent associated conditions are:

� Obsessions and compulsions

� Inattention i.e. Attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder
� Learning disabilities
� Behavioral problems i.e. quick temper, mood swings, over-reaction.
� Impulsiveness i.e. Echolalia (the urge to repeat other's words), echopraxia(the urge to mimic other's actions), palilalia (the urge to repeat your own words or thoughts).

(courtesy of Tourettes-disorder.com)