Tourette Syndrome and Human Behavior

by David E. Comings

Book Overview

The story of how Tourette syndrome, a common hereditary disorder, provides insights into the cause and treatment of a wide range of human behavioral problems. It covers diagnosis, associated behaviors... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1878267280
• ISBN13: 9781878267283
• Release Date: January 1990
• Publisher: Hope Press
• Length: 828 Pages
• Weight: 3.10 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Insight into Tourette's from a Premiere Medical Geneticist

This is book offers a wonderful and complete explanation of the origins and progress of this fascinating neurological disorder. Dr. Comings is most definitely NOT just a doctor who came up with a few speculative theories, as another reviewer implied. He is one of our country's premiere medical geneticists studying -- and teaching -- the etiology of psychiatric/neurological disorders in adults and children. He still consults on difficult cases out of the City of Hope in California.Before this brilliant man studied this disorder, Tourette's was frequently assumed to be the product of bad parenting (at best), the result of poor moral behavior, or demonic posession requiring exorcism (at worst). Now Tourette's, and its symptoms, are widely recognized by medical professionals to be an inherited disorder of neurotransmitter metabolism -- but it was not so until Dr. Comings published his well-documented findings based on superbly performed studies (that have been widely published in extremely reputable peer-reviewed journals).In this book, Dr. Comings documents not only his findings, but his journey as he learned more about this disorder and its related problems, which include obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention-deficit-disorder, and a host of other issues. He is a physician writing about the technical aspects of medical genetics, and symptamatology, but he still has created a volume that makes fascinating reading for scholar and layman alike.

A revolutionary and insightful book

I have suffered from Tourette's since around age 5. I'll spare you the clinical and genetical reasoning and studies he uses to make his point, I am not a doctor, but I do have Tourette's.I suffered from childhood tics, and a myriad of apparently associated behavioral problems, all brought to light in this study. This book was an eye-opener, I identified with so many things others with TS he had studied suffered from, I felt like I was reading a self-study autobiography.I was sick of hearing about just tics, those come and go in a lot of TS patients, I could handle those, they got better as I got older. The ones I had were very obvious; head-jerking, repetitive/constant throat clearing, blinking, throat noises, and host of other strange impulses I had a hard time controlling until I was older. I was teased, ridiculed, poked, studied and then forgotten when the obvious tics went away. Unfortunately the tics were the least of my problems, many of the associated ADD, OCD, addiction problems and behavioral disorders fit me to a tee, that Comings covered. The genetic trail he discovered seemed very reasonable and the act of my conception alone could've been a result of impulsive behavior associated with a form of Tourette's. The implications of modern human behavioral problems are almost over-whelming, astounding, and to an extent, throw-away a lot of preconceived notions we all have today about kids with TS, ADD, hyperactivity, addiction problems, minor criminal activity in middle class families, that otherwise have no explanation.For anyone wanting to know more about Tourette's, or who may have it in their family, this is the first book I would recommend. You simply cannot argue with some of the relative behaviors and passed-down traits and patterns of behavior in families, it is impossible to ignore.I lived it, and I don't really need someone to tell me otherwise, my impulses were not something born out of purely external, environmental conditions, I know that much.Comings is on to something here and it deserves praise and serious attention from the medical community.Even if you don't agree with his findings, the book itself and the case studies are very interesting and are something government, law and social officials/employees need to have a better understanding of.

Excellent Comprehensive Book

I am the webmaster of Mental Health Sanctuary and I highly recommend this book. Do not be afraid of the size of this book as it is 687 pages, not including the various tests which will assist you and the glossary and index.This book leaves nothing out. It answers *every* question imaginable. Easy to read and understand and yet thorough in it's approach. If you want to fully understand tourette syndrome, it's diagnosis, treatment, the genetics, behavior, cause, and much more, this is the book for you.

This is the "one" book to have if your child has Tourettes!

This book answered so many questions for me about tourettes Syndrome and many questions I had yet to even conjure. The information is presented so that even the non medical person can read with ease. Despite the size I never put the book down once I started reading. The information gave me the information to confirm my suspicions that my son had Tourettes Syndrome and the knowledge and understanding of how to present that information to my childs physician and get a diagnosis. I read the book a few years ago but now as I am propelled to seek a degree in psychology from the information I learned about Tourettes Syndrome frequently I refer to "Tourettes Syndrome and Human Behavior" when I speak publicly on the subject and have referred the book to physicians, psychologist, educators and parents.Noreene M. Bailey parent of a child with tourettes psychology student at SFCC

A readable guide for professional and parent on Tourettes

Don't let the thickness scare you. And don't think that Tourette's is just the "cussin' disease." Dr. Comings has written a very readable yet comprehensive work on Tourette's Syndrome including a host of related "spectrum disorders" such as ADHD, ODD, OCD, and Conduct Disorder, etc. His background as a geneticist and treating physician give the reader both an understanding of the genetics and heritability of these disorders and comprehensive treatment guidelines regarding medications and therapy for them. I have been able to solve a variety of "mysteries" presenting in my practice that have responded well to Dr. Comings' RX recommendations. Dr. Comings` book has been so useful in my psychology practice (private ADHD Clinic) that I have ordered copies for all my physician referral sources. Parents will find some info rather technical but Dr. Comings give you permission to skip chapters. His case studies and TS "pedigrees" will certainly hit home with many parents who have struggled with the troublesome but often subtle symptoms of the spectrum disorders. Highly Recommended.