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TikTok star »Thistrippyhippy«: Pandemic within the pandemic?
Photo:
TikTok / Thistrippyhippy
“Suddenly I have Tourette. wtf? «is the name of a video on YouTube. It has been accessed more than 500,000 times so far. It was created by Dillan White, who explains how he suddenly got severe tics. He seems amazed in this video, can't believe what happened. "Whoa, that's so crazy," says the 23-year-old, while his sentences are repeatedly interrupted by sudden movements and "Ey" exclamations. But he reassures his viewers directly: It certainly has nothing to do with his corona vaccination.
The phenomenon is currently being discussed more and more among Tourette experts and the media: Young people who suddenly develop tic disorders after watching TikTok or YouTube videos for a long period of time in which people with Tourette talk about their tics and these show, for example on the account of Dillan White, that of »Thunderstorm in the Head« or that of »Thistrippyhippie«. Searching for the hashtag "Tourette Syndrome" on TikTok shows videos that have been viewed millions of times and have hundreds of thousands of comments. The video of a young woman whose tics make a corona test difficult is very popular.
Scientific publications speak of a "pandemic within the pandemic".
That sounds dramatic: Lots of young people who develop tic disorders.
Where does it come from?
And is that really such a big problem?
An old phenomenon
Two things have to be kept apart: Tourette's syndrome and functional disorders.
Tourette is a congenital neurological disease.
The tics, such as twitching, coughing, or making sounds, often occur in childhood.
It is not finally clear what causes this disease.
So far it cannot be cured, only the symptoms treated.
Functional disorders, on the other hand, can occur suddenly and have psychological causes.
For example, Tourette-like tics can occur without a person having Tourette's syndrome.
The most popular channels and videos on TikTok and YouTube are those of people who have, or at least claim to have, been diagnosed with Tourette, such as Dillan White. However, in some Tourette clinics, it is becoming increasingly common for people who developed tics to present themselves after watching these videos. They are usually referred to psychological contact points because they do not have a Tourette.
"Such phenomena are nothing new," says child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Michael Schulte-Markwort. It is reminiscent of a phenomenon that occurred in Egypt in the 1990s: girls fainted en masse after suffering from headaches and dizziness. But back then there was no social media that could have spread the impotence around the world. “That's what you call a hysterical phenomenon. That sounds derogatory, but it shouldn't be, «says Schulte-Markwort. Something like this occurs all the time in a milder form.
Should someone discover tics after watching videos, Schult-Markwort advises specialist intervention: "With psychiatric help, such functional disorders can easily be treated."
For example, through education or calming measures such as autogenic training - sedating agents should not be prescribed.
"They're just imitating that"
After his first video about Tourette, Dillan White uploaded another one: "Your questions about my Tourette". The videos were made at the end of June and the beginning of July 2021. In an interview, White explains what has happened since then: “My condition got worse afterwards. That's why I was in a psychiatric hospital for a month and a half, ”he says. For example, he had panic attacks because of a psychotropic drug that was prescribed for him. And all of a sudden the Tourette didn't actually appear. Rather, he had repeatedly had milder tics in his childhood, but they were never diagnosed.
In mid-October he heard about the supposed pandemic, the "TikTok-Tics", for the first time.
“My mother sent me a video.
She had filmed the television, on which a report was shown on a private broadcaster «.
It asked people on the street what they think of this "questionable TikTok trend".
The tenor: "They are just imitating it." That made Dillan White angry, he sees himself and others discredited with the disease.
"I uploaded my videos because I wanted to explain what was wrong with me," he says.
But he doesn't want to turn his YouTube channel with 377,000 subscribers into a “Tourette channel”.
What are the causes?
The facts about the "TikTok-Tics" are confusing. There is a paper by researchers from the Medical University of Hanover (MHH), in which a »Mass Sociogenic Illness« is written. Individual Tourette ambulances in the USA or Canada report a significant increase in such cases. Opponents of this theory, however, have "scientific and ethical concerns" and cannot share the observations of a mass phenomenon. "Research is only just beginning," says Dr. Richard Musil, senior physician and head of the Tic outpatient department at the University of Munich Hospital. A few weeks ago he took part in a meeting of the European Tourette Society where this phenomenon was discussed. He himself sees no significant increase in functional tic disorders in his outpatient department.
Musil observes, however, that unusual tics often occur in "TikTok-Tic" cases: coprolalia, i.e. the uttering of obscene words.
It is precisely these that are often put on display in videos, for example in the case of “thunderstorms in the head.” The patients are also often female - although Tourette tends to appear in men.
Dr.
Daniel Huys, chief physician and head of the special outpatient clinic for tics and Tourette's syndrome at the University Clinic in Cologne, cannot see a "massive increase" in cases.
He could well understand that people with Tourette's syndrome use platforms like TikTok to talk about their illness - but sees it as critical that precisely those who turn it into an amusing entertainment show have the greatest reach.
Doctors can name a few possible reasons for the functional tic disorders.
For example the psychological pressure from the isolation during the corona pandemic, which is making its way.
Tics are clearly visible disorders that are noticeable to the environment.
There could also be undiagnosed Tourette, which is more pronounced due to increased psychological stress.
It is important, however, that these are not people who consciously pretend something.
"Acting" for weeks on tic disorders takes a lot of energy.
Functional disorders, in turn, would have to be treated.
"I can't look at that"
Kate P. also makes videos about her Tourette syndrome. "When I'm asked," she emphasizes. The 33-year-old has a TikTok channel with 225,000 followers. Above all, she has severe muscle twitches and makes sudden noises. In livestreams she now reads more often comments like "She doesn't have a Tourette, she's way too quiet". The viewers have a certain idea of the disease: "People who use swear words and make funny videos about them," she says. It takes her strength to control her tics in the streams. "For example, I try to incorporate the noises into my speech so that they don't stand out," she says. Even her child asks her why her tics are so different from the ones on TikTok.
She is equally critical of the fact that people who show Tourette as a rather amusing illness have so much reach.
For two reasons.
"There are people for whom this disease is torture. They can hardly leave their house, they are exhausted," she says.
For them these videos are a mockery and not helpful either.
The second reason is the near-contagious nature of such videos.
"I can't look at this because there is a risk that I'll take a tic," she says.
People with Tourette could be triggered by these videos.
"The phenomenon will subside again"
So the situation is complex. Functional tic disorders in young people associated with TikTok or YouTube do occur, but they can be treated well. But the videos are viewed a million times, so is there still cause for concern? Dr. Kirsten Müller-Vahl is a specialist in psychiatry and neurology and head of the Tourette working group at the MHH. She was involved in the paper that speaks of a mass phenomenon and finds this phenomenon worrying. Young people would usually develop severe physical symptoms abruptly, which would often lead to a variety of consequences for those affected and their families.
A major turning point in the lives of many people, also driven by TikTok and Co. But Müller-Vahl is certain: "The phenomenon will subside again - and hopefully faster if it is reported in public and not just in specialist circles." she says.
