Tourette's Syndrome and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD):

an addiction, not a disease

Biopsychiatry is Junk science "If these shocking presumptions were not an actual description of the current state of the Psychology industry, they might be laughable. But regrettably, these simplistic theories are widely applied and widely accepted in a society that naively trusts psychologists to be scientific and objective, optimistic and positive, and caring and other-oriented." (Manufacturing Victims, Dr. Tana Dineen, 2001, p 266)

Introduction:

1. See the case of "Twitchy" who was cured of Tourette's.
2. Tourette's syndrome and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) are classified as "behaviour addictions"
3. There is no known biological cause of Tourette's Syndrome and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD):
1. The unproven theories of Defective DNA, Bad brain chemicals are the only place a biopsychiatrists can look, given the fact he is in compete denial about the existence of the human spirit which is utterly distinct from the body. When these Darwinian atheists rule out the fact that man is body and soul, but a mere collection of chemical soups and shocks that is the only place they can look for the origin of all behaviour. Christians on the other hand, know that all human behaviour has its origin in the spirit, not the body.
2. "the cause has not been definitely established ... How is Tourette's syndrome diagnosed? No blood analysis, x-ray or other medical test exists to identify TS. Diagnosis is made by observing the signs or symptoms as described above. (Tourette's disorder, or Tourette's syndrome (TS), NAMI, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Charles T. Gordon, III, M.D.)
3. There is no known genetic cause for Tourette's or OCD, only hypothetical.
4. Tourette's syndrome tics are behaviour choices the mind needs to stop doing and the foul language outbursts of Tourette's syndrome is a sin that needs to be repented of.
5. Tourette's is common in children but rare in adults. This actually proves Tourette's is a behaviour choice. A child is not aware of how his tics affect the way other's view him in a negative way. But adults see the huge social and economic costs and simply stop the repetitive tics and contortions through pure will power. For example, if a smoker really believed the next cigarette would kill him, he would instantly find the will power to quit cold turkey. Likewise, if someone with Tourette's or OCD really wants to stop the behaviours, they most certainly will. The first step is realizing that Tourette's and OCD patients have been lied to by "professionals" when they are specifically told it is NOT a matter of will, but a medical problem.
6. Tourette's tics usually stop the moment a person falls asleep or when their mind is pre-occupied watching TV or in an important Job interview or on a first date. This proves the mind is in full control of the repetitive behaviours. If it was solely a biological problem and the behaviours were truly involuntary, they would continue unchanged in any circumstance.

1. "Tourette's Syndrome is a chronic condition in which both motor and vocal tics are observable. The tics are often presaged by premonitory sensory urges that build in tension until the tic is released (Leckman et al. 1993). Many patients feel more troubled by the pre-tic tension than by the tics themselves (Leckman et al. 1993), and some patients can successfully control their tics in public and unleash them when they are alone. Tics are markedly attenuated by sleep (Fish et al. 1991; Hashimoto et al. 1981). Tourette's Syndrome waxes and wanes over time and can vary enormously in severity from mild and undiagnosed to disabling. Anxiety and stress can increase symptoms." (Textbook of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, Yudofsky, Hales, 2002 AD, p 1080)
6. One comedian centers her act around her Tourette's syndrome. Joke after joke about herself and "her genetically caused handicap". Although the crowds love it, she is misleading the general public into the true nature of Tourette's syndrome and OCD and propagating myths of the psychiatric industry. (They make more money) This poor deluded soul has a double disincentive to never be free from twitching and grunting the day away: First she rejects she has any power of will over stopping since it is genetic and chemical. Second, if she does find the will power to overcome Tourette's syndrome she is out of a job... or she will need to find new material! So how many Tourette's syndrome suffers does it take to change a light bulb? One less, if "twitchette" found the will power to cure herself!

A. The cure is will power and self-control

Torrette's and OCD are diagnosed by behaviour alone, proving its cure lies in will power and self-control. The case of "Twitchy"

1. The general public have been lied to by psychiatrist, psychologists, the mental health industry, drug companies and the media. The truth is like the joke, "How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb…. Any one of them, but he really has to want to change [it]". Just like Dorothy possessed the power to get home the entire time she sought the answer on the Yellow Brick road, so too we all have the power within ourselves our entire life to cure ourselves of Tourette's and OCD. The difference is that Dorothy was finally told by the good witch to simply click her heels together three times, but no one in the entire mental health industry ever hints that the cure to Tourette's/OCD could possibly be will power and self-control. The public believed the lie that ticks are involuntary and outside of their ability to control. Ticks are viewed outside the control of the individual the same way an epileptic has no control over an epileptic seizure.
2. The history of psychiatry is a path of destruction of life and damage to the human body whose cures are summed up in physical disablement of the body through surgery, shocks and drugs. Biopsychiatry is rooted in atheism which denies many has a spirit separate from the body and sees all human behaviour rooted in the body, not the spirit.
3. Tourette's syndrome, like Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), is a nervous habit in full control of human will. It is a freewill choice not the involuntary consequence of defective DNA, bad brain wiring or a chemical imbalance of the brain.
4. In psychiatric discussion circles, there is little difference between Tourette's syndrome and Obsessive-compulsive disorder OCD. Both are cross diagnosed by biopsychiatrists and there is a very blurry line of distinction.
5. Tourette's syndrome and OCD share a quality with schizophrenia, namely, that there are no medical tests and diagnosis is based solely on behaviour observation. Just as you cannot diagnose a schizophrenic unless he talks, neither can you diagnose Tourette's or OCD unless you watch them. It is not a medical matter for doctors, but a personal matter of learning self-control over one's thoughts and actions.
6. Nervous habits are "though addictions" and sometimes come to the surface in odd and unnatural behaviours that range from over blinking to switching on and off the bedroom light for 30 minutes "until it felt right". Sometimes nervous habits are obsessive thinking converted into obsessive actions. For example, you keep wondering if you turned the alarm system on while you lay in bed then finally get up, go down stairs and check to see if it armed. The solution to this very common problem is to install a keypad beside the bed so you think about it once, then just look over to see it is armed. Tourette's or OCD are inner compulsions that lead to outer actions which end the obsessive thinking in order to restore inner peace and gain relief that is short lived, until the cycle is repeated over and over.
7. It is well documented, that this kind of repetitive thinking/action actually changes the wiring in the brain the way a weightlifter increases muscle mass. "The key problem with OCD [Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder] is that the more often the patient actually engages in a compulsive behavior, the more neurons are drawn into it, and the stronger the signals for the behavior become. Thus, although the signals appear to promise, "Do it one more time and then you will have some peace," that promise is false by its very nature. What was once a neural footpath slowly grows into a twelve-lane highway whose deafening traffic takes over the neural neighborhood. The challenge is to restore it to the status of a footpath in the brain again. Neuroplasticity (the ability of neurons to shift their connections and responsibilities) makes that possible." (The Spiritual Brain, Mario Beauregard Ph.D., Neuroscientist, 2007, p 128)
8. The line between normal repetitive thoughts (is the alarm on, did I lock the door, did I remember my passport) and Tourette's/OCD is the "frequency of your repetitive thinking", mind the pun. In other words, two people fret about exactly the same things, but one frets for a while and stops, but the other frets day and night and is diagnosed with Tourette's/OCD. The line between mourning and depression is a judgement of when someone has been sad too long and not a medical issue. Likewise, it should be obvious that repetitive thinking is not a disease or a medical issue caused by defective DNA.

9. "A nonmaterialist approach to the mind is not only philosophically defensible; it is critical to alleviating some psychiatric disorders. Obsessive-compulsive disorder and phobias, for example, may be more effectively alleviated if the mind recognizes and reorganizes destructive brain pat-terns. This is not to disparage the role of drugs, therapy, or other useful interventions, but ultimately the mind is the most effective agent of change for the brain." (The Spiritual Brain, Mario Beauregard, Ph.D., Neuroscientist, 2007)

10. "This description illustrates the similarities between the obsessional's self-repudiated thinking and the smoker's self-repudiated smoking. In both instances (and in countless others) the subject engages in a habitual pattern of behavior, yet asserts that he would rather abstain from the behavior; each actor affirms that his problematic behavior is unwanted and beyond his control, yet bitterly resists efforts—by himself or others—to deprive him of his habit. In fact, such efforts often lead to a "worsening" of the ostensibly unwanted behavior ("symptom") and to increasingly desperate psychiatric efforts to abolish it ("treatment"). ... In lieu of this psychiatric perspective and vocabulary, I propose to view obsessional thoughts as instances of self-conversations specifically, as inner dialogues whose character and contents the speaker-listener is unable or unwilling to change. Long ago, Freud correctly called attention to the similarities between the ritualized thoughts and acts of the obsessional person ("neurotic") and the ritualized thoughts and acts of the religious person ("orthodox"). The essential difference between these two sets of behaviors lies not in the minds or heads of the subject, but in the interpretation he and society place on them. Simply put, the religious ritualist performs acts of thinking and doing that he and his many coreligionists alike regard as rational and desirable, indeed holy; whereas the obsessional ritualist performs acts of thinking and doing that he as well as his family and society regard as irrational and undesirable, indeed insane." (The Meaning of the Mind, Thomas Szasz, 1996 AD, p 128)
11. Everyday habits can be diagnosed as "Obsessive compulsive":
1. A man arranges all the wrenches in his garage tool chest in perfect order. If someone opened a drawer and moved it an inch, he would move it back.
2. A woman arranges her shoes in the closet in a particular order based on style and colour. If someone swapped two pairs in the little cubby holes, she would switch them back.
3. A woman carries around a lip balm and repeatedly applies it to her lips.
4. A woman carries her cell phone everywhere and sleeps with it on her pillow. If she left the house without his lip balm or cell phone, he would turn around and go home to get them.

e. A man must constantly check if his truck is locked at night.

12. "And [Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder] sufferers won't get any peace from the panic button squealing in their brains unless they carry them out. Yet giving in to them makes them worse over time; the more they give in, the more persistent the beliefs and behaviors become." (The Spiritual Brain, Mario Beauregard Ph.D., Neuroscientist, 2007, p127)

13. "The key problem with OCD [Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder] is that the more often the patient actually engages in a compulsive behavior, the more neurons are drawn into it, and the stronger the signals for the behavior become. Thus, although the signals appear to promise, "Do it one more time and then you will have some peace," that promise is false by its very nature. What was once a neural footpath slowly grows into a twelve-lane highway whose deafen- it to the status of a footpath in the brain again." (The Spiritual Brain, Mario Beauregard Ph.D., Neuroscientist, 2007, p 128)

B. Biopsychiatry doesn't know what causes Tourette's syndrome:

What biopsychiatrists, drug companies and governments say

Notice that all causes are theoretical, might be, possible, believed to be (faith):

1. "What causes Tourette's syndrome? Although the cause has not been definitely established, there is considerable evidence that TS arises from abnormal metabolism of dopamine, a neurotransmitter. Other neurotransmitters may be involved. ... How is Tourette's syndrome diagnosed? No blood analysis, x-ray or other medical test exists to identify TS. Diagnosis is made by observing the signs or symptoms as described above. ... What treatments are available for TS? Not everyone is disabled by his or her symptoms, so medication may not be necessary. When symptoms interfere with functioning, medication can effectively improve attention span, decrease impulsivity, hyperactivity, tics, and obsessive-compulsive symptomatology. Relaxation techniques and behavior therapy may also be useful for tics." (Tourette's disorder, or Tourette's syndrome (TS), NAMI, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Charles T. Gordon, III, M.D.)
2. What causes Tourette Syndrome? Although the cause of TS is unknown, current research points to abnormalities in certain brain regions (including the basal ganglia, frontal lobes, and cortex), the circuits that interconnect these regions, and the neurotransmitters (dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine) responsible for communication among nerve cells. Given the often complex presentation of TS, the cause of the disorder is likely to be equally complex. (Tourette Syndrome Fact Sheet, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
3. Although the word "involuntary" is used to describe the nature of the tics, this is not entirely accurate. It would not be true to say that people with Tourette Syndrome have absolutely no control over their tics, as though it was some type of spasm; rather, a more appropriate term would be "compelling." People with TS feel an irresistible urge to perform their tics, much like the need to scratch a mosquito bite. ... What causes Tourette Syndrome? Research is ongoing, but it is believed that an abnormal metabolism of the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin are involved with the disorder. It is genetically transmitted; parents having a 50% chance of passing the gene on to their children. Girls with the gene have a 70% chance of displaying symptoms, boys with the gene have a 99% chance of displaying symptoms. (The Facts About Tourette Syndrome, Raenna Peiss)

4. Tourette's Syndrome and Other Tic Disorders: Tourette's Syndrome is an intriguing neuropsychiatric disorder, presumably arising from deep within the basal ganglia, that illustrates the prominent associations between hyperactivity, impulsivity, tics, obsessions, and compulsions. Tics are stereo-typed, brief, repetitive, purposeless, nonrhythmic motor and vocal responses. Although temporarily suppressible, tics are not under full voluntary control, and the individual often experiences increasing internal tension that is only relieved when the tic is released." (Textbook of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, Yudofsky, Hales, 2002 AD, p 1080)

5. "Characteristic Features: Tics can be simple or complex. Simple motor tics include jerking movements, shrugging, and eye blinking. Simple vocal tics include grunting, sniffing, and throat clearing. More complex motor tics involve grimacing, banging, or temper tantrums, whereas complex vocal tics include echolalia and coprolalia. Tics wax and wane over time, and the primary muscle groups affected gradually change as well. (Textbook of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, Yudofsky, Hales, 2002 AD, p 1080)

6. "Tourette's Syndrome is a chronic condition in which both motor and vocal tics are observable. The tics are often presaged by premonitory sensory urges that build in tension until the tic is released (Leckman et al. 1993). Many patients feel more troubled by the pre-tic tension than by the tics themselves (Leckman et al. 1993), and some patients can successfully control their tics in public and unleash them when they are alone. Tics are markedly attenuated by sleep (Fish et al. 1991; Hashimoto et al. 1981). Tourette's Syndrome waxes and wanes over time and can vary enormously in severity from mild and undiagnosed to disabling. Anxiety and stress can increase symptoms." (Textbook of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, Yudofsky, Hales, 2002 AD, p 1080)

7. "Etiology: Tic disorders have a substantial genetic basis, but additional factors play a key role. A large study of affected sib-pair families found that first-degree relatives had a tenfold increased risk (Tourette Syndrome Association International Consortium for Genetics 1999). Tics are present in about two-thirds of relatives of Tourette's Syndrome patients, and linkage studies suggest that Tourette's Syndrome is transmitted in a Mendelian fashion. (Textbook of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, Yudofsky, Hales, 2002 AD, p 1081)

8. "Tic disorders: Although tics are experienced as irresistible, they may be temporarily delayed or suppressed. The fact that tics may be consciously suppressed distinguishes them from choreiform movements (i.e., disruptions of normal syner-gistic movement by coordinated muscle groups, such as blinks or grimaces), athetosis (i.e., slow writhing), dystonias (i.e., abnormal muscle tone), other dyskinesias (i.e., disruptions of voluntary and involuntary motions), and other neurological movement disorders with which they may be confused. Instead, tics are brief and repetitive (but not rhythmic) motor or vocal responses." (Textbook of Clinical Psychiatry, Hales, Yudofsky, 2003 AD, p 904)

9. "Tic disorders are believed to arise from abnormal functioning of CSTC neural circuitry involved in motor control and sensorimotor integration. Genetic studies show that 50% of male (and 30% of female) first-degree relatives of patients with Tourette's disorder have transient tic disorder, chronic tic disorder, OCD (Hebebrand et al. 1997), and often ADHD. This overrepresentation suggests a genetic interrelationship among the three tic disorders, OCD, and perhaps ADHD. ... Because the etiologies (causes) of the three tic disorders seem closely interrelated, it is appropriate that tic disorders are subtyped by clinical description and course rather than by etiology. Tourette's disorder is generally the most serious of these disorders and has been the best studied." (Textbook of Clinical Psychiatry, Hales, Yudofsky, 2003 AD, p 904)

10. "Tourette's Etiology: Genetic, biological, and psychosocial factors appear operative in Tourette's disorder and other tic disorders. Tics are noted in two-thirds of the relatives of patients with Tourette's disorder, and tic disorders are found in 5%-10% of their siblings. ...Genetic studies show a link between Tourette's disorder, chronic tics, and OCD. There also may be a link between Tourette's disorder and ADHD, even in the absence of OCD (Sheppard et al. 1999). ... The search for candidate genes, while promising, has been inconclusive to date." (Textbook of Clinical Psychiatry, Hales, Yudofsky, 2003 AD, p 907)

11. "Etiology: Genetic, biological, and psychosocial factors appear operative in Tourette's disorder and other tic disorders. Tics are noted in two-thirds of the relatives of patients with Tourette's disorder, and tic disorders are found in 5%-10% of their siblings." (Textbook of Clinical Psychiatry, Hales, Yudofsky, 2003 AD, p 907)

12. "Stereotypic movement disorder Etiology: Stereotypic movement disorder has no clear etiology, but several theories have been advanced, and multiple contributing or interacting factors are probably involved." (Textbook of Clinical Psychiatry, Hales, Yudofsky, 2003 AD, p 943)

C. Biopsychiatry doesn't know what causes Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD):

What biopsychiatrists, drug companies and governments say

Notice that all causes are theoretical, suggestions, possible, believed to be (faith):

1. "OCD: Cognitive and Behavioral Theories: A prominent behavioral model of the acquisition and maintenance of obsessive-compulsive symptoms derives from the two-stage learning theory of Mowrer (1939). In stage 1, anxiety is classically conditioned to a specific environmental event (i.e., classical conditioning). The person then engages in compulsive rituals (escape/avoidance responses) to decrease anxiety. If the individual is successful in reducing anxiety, the compulsive behavior is more likely to occur in the future (stage 2: operant conditioning). Higher-order conditioning occurs when other neutral stimuli such as words, images, or thoughts are associated with the initial stimulus and the associated anxiety is diffused. Ritualized behavior preserves the fear response, because the person avoids the eliciting stimulus and thus avoids extinction. Likewise, anxiety reduction following the ritual preserves the compulsive behavior." (Textbook of Clinical Psychiatry, Hales, Yudofsky, 2003 AD, p 586)

2. "Biological Theories: Although OCD used to be viewed as having a psychological etiology, a wealth of biological findings that have emerged since the 1980s have rendered OCD one of the most elegantly elaborated psychiatric disorders from a biological standpoint." (Textbook of Clinical Psychiatry, Hales, Yudofsky, 2003 AD, p 586)

3. "Advances in neuroimaging techniques have permitted a more sophisticated and elaborate elucidation of the functional anatomy underpinning OCD. In particular, orbitofrontal-limbic-basal ganglia circuits have been implicated in numerous studies." (Textbook of Clinical Psychiatry, Hales, Yudofsky, 2003 AD, p 586)

4. "obsessive-compulsive personality disorder Etiology: Freud's view that obsessive-compulsive personality disorder derives from difficulties occurring during the anal stage of psychosexual development (age 2-4 years) was echoed and elaborated on by subsequent psychoanalytic thinkers, such as Karl Abraham and Wilhelm Reich (1933). According to this theory, children's infantile anal-erotic libidinal impulses conflict with parental attempts to socialize them—in particular, to toilet train them. Although these theories emphasize the importance of children's perception of parental disapproval during toilet training, and of ensuing parent-child control struggles—what Rado (1959) referred to as "the battle of the chamber pot"—these factors are not currently considered central to this disorder's etiology. It may be, how-ever, that conflicts arising during toilet training—such as those characteristic of Erikson's (1950) stage of autonomy versus shame—and continuing during other developmental stages do play a role in this disorder's etiology (Perry and Vaillant 1989). In particular, excessive parental control, criticism, and shaming may result in an insecurity that is defended against with perfectionism, orderliness, and an attempt to maintain excessive control. Freud believed that constitutional factors also play an important role in the formation of this personality type; similarly, Rado postulated the etiological importance of constitutionally excessive rage that leads to power struggles with others. As is the case with other personality disorders, empirical studies are needed to clarify this disorder's sources." (Textbook of Clinical Psychiatry, Hales, Yudofsky, 2003 AD, p 825)

5. "What causes Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, OCD? A large body of scientific evidence suggests that OCD results from a chemical imbalance in the brain. For years, mental health professionals incorrectly assumed OCD resulted from bad parenting or personality defects. This theory has been disproven over the last 20 years. OCD symptoms are not relieved by psychoanalysis or other forms of "talk therapy," but there is evidence that behavior therapy can be effective, alone or in combination with medication. ... People whose brains are injured sometimes develop OCD, which suggests it is a physical condition. If a placebo is given to people who are depressed or who experience panic attacks, 40 percent will say they feel better. If a placebo is given to people who experience obsessive-compulsive disorder, only about two percent say they feel better. This also suggests a physical condition. Clinical researchers have implicated certain brain regions in OCD. They have discovered a strong link between OCD and a brain chemical called serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps nerve cells communicate. Scientists have also observed that people with OCD have increased metabolism in the basal ganglia and the frontal lobes of the brain. This, scientists believe, causes repetitive movements, rigid thinking, and lack of spontaneity. Successful treatment with medication or behavior therapy produces a decrease in the over activity of this brain circuitry. People with OCD often have high levels of the hormone vasopressin. In layperson's terms, something in the brain is stuck, like a broken record." (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, OCD, NAMI, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Judith Rapoport, MD May 2003)
6. "What Causes Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder? There is growing evidence that OCD represents abnormal functioning of brain circuitry, probably involving a part of the brain called the striatum. OCD is not caused by family problems or attitudes learned in childhood, such as an inordinate emphasis on cleanliness, or a belief that certain thoughts are dangerous or unacceptable. Brain imaging studies using a technique called positron emission tomography (PET) have compared people with and without OCD. Those with OCD have patterns of brain activity that differ from people with other mental illnesses or people with no mental illness at all. In addition, PET scans show that in patients with OCD, both behavioral therapy and medication produce changes in the striatum. This is graphic evidence that both psychotherapy and medication affect the brain. What Treatments Are Available for OCD? Treatments for OCD have been developed through research supported by the NIMH and other research institutions. These treatments, which combine medications and behavioral therapy (a specific type of psychotherapy), are often effective. Several medications have been proven effective in helping people with OCD: clomipramine, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, sertraline, and paroxetine. If one drug is not effective, others should be tried. A number of other medications are currently being studied. A type of behavioral therapy known as "exposure and response prevention" is very useful for treating OCD. In this approach, a person is deliberately and voluntarily exposed to whatever triggers the obsessive thoughts, and then is taught techniques to avoid performing the compulsive rituals and to deal with the anxiety." (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Freedom From Fear, Staten Island, NY, National non-profit Mental Illness Advocacy Organization)
7. "Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): OCD usually responds well to treatment with certain medications and/or exposure-based psychotherapy, in which people face situations that cause fear or anxiety and become less sensitive (desensitized) to them. NIMH is supporting research into new treatment approaches for people whose OCD does not respond well to the usual therapies. These approaches include combination and augmentation (add-on) treatments, as well as modern techniques such as deep brain stimulation. ... Treatment of Anxiety Disorders: In general, anxiety disorders are treated with medication, specific types of psychotherapy, or both. ... By learning more about how the brain creates fear and anxiety, scientists may be able to devise better treatments for anxiety disorders. For example, if specific neurotransmitters are found to play an important role in fear, drugs may be developed that will block them and decrease fear responses; if enough is learned about how the brain generates new cells throughout the lifecycle, it may be possible to stimulate the growth of new neurons in the hippocampus in people with PTSD." (Anxiety Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health, NIMH, 2006)

8. OCD: "In recent years, however, neuroscientists have discovered that the adult brain is actually very plastic. As we will see, if neural circuits receive a great deal of traffic, they will grow. If they receive little traffic, they will remain the same or shrink. The amount of traffic our neural circuits receive depends, for the most part, on what we choose to pay attention to. Not only can we make decisions by focusing on one idea rather than an-other, but we can change the patterns of neurons in our brains by doing so consistently. Again, that has been demonstrated by experiments and is even used in psychiatric treatments for obsessive compulsive disorder." (The Spiritual Brain, Mario Beauregard Ph.D., Neuroscientist, 2007, p33)

9. OCD: "Schwartz sketched out a four-step program in which the patient is asked to Relabel, Reattribute, Reassign, and Revalue the OCD activities. ... Schwartz notes, "Reattributing is particularly effective at directing the patient's attention away from demoralizing and stressful attempts to squash the bothersome OCD feeling by engaging in compulsive behaviors. (see Schwartz and Begley, Mind and the Brain, p. 83) He was not simply getting patients to change their opinions, but rather to actually change their brains. He wanted them to substitute a useful neural circuit for a useless one," for example, to substitute "go work in the garden" for "wash hands seven more times," until the neuronal traffic from the many different activities associated with gardening began to exceed the traffic from washing the hands. Over time, the hope was that the superhighway might slowly morph back into a dense but functional series of footpaths. Schwartz's UCLA group performed PET scans on eighteen OCD patients with moderate to severe symptoms before and after they underwent individual and group four-step sessions. These patients were not treated with any type of drug. Twelve improved significantly during the ten-week study period. Their PET scans showed significantly diminished metabolic activity after the treatment in both the right and left caudate, with the right-side decrease particularly striking. There was also a significant decrease in the abnormally high, and pathological, correlations among activities in the caudate, the orbital frontal cortex, and the thalamus in the right hemisphere. In other words, these patients really had changed their brains." (The Spiritual Brain, Mario Beauregard Ph.D., Neuroscientist, 2007, p130)

10. OCD: "This was the first study ever to show that cognitive-behavior therapy-or, indeed, any psychiatric treatment that did not rely on drugs-has the power to change faulty brain chemistry in a well-identified brain circuit.... We had demonstrated such changes in patients who had, not to put too fine a point on it, changed the way they thought about their thoughts." (Schwartz and Begley, Mind and the Brain, p. 90)

Tourette's and OCD The Chemical imbalance Myth Detailed proof There is not a single medical test for any mental illness. All diagnoses are based solely on behaviour and then extrapolated based on complex theories founded upon Evolution.

D. Tourette's OCD are not caused by bad brain chemicals or DNA:

1. Notice that this entire article (below) sounds convincing, but the Ph.D. level Clinical Psychologist admits he cannot prove chemical imbalances exist. He says: "Unfortunately, the body doesn't have a built-in dipstick for neurotransmitters". He admits there is no way of testing and therefore professionals diagnose on the basis of BEHAVIOUR not science. This is the kind of article that the public read, not realizing that there is no actual proof, only assumptions, guesses, associations and theory. He also misleads the public by using the analogy of fluid levels in a car and neurotransmitters like Serotonin in the brain. It is well known that mentally ill people have perfectly normal levels of neurotransmitters like Serotonin in their bodies.
2. "Research also tells us that several neurotransmitters are related to mental health problems - Dopamine, Serotonin, Norepinephrine, and GABA (Gamma Aminobutyric Acid). Too much or too little of these neurotransmitters are now felt to produce psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia, depression, bi-polar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and ADHD. Unfortunately, the body doesn't have a built-in dipstick for neurotransmitters, at least one that's inexpensive enough for community mental health practice. There are advanced imaging techniques such as Positron Emission Tomography (PET Scans) that are being utilized in research and in the development of medications that directly influence changes in specific neurotransmitters. Lacking a PET Scanner, most professionals evaluate neurotransmitter levels by looking for indicators in thought, behavior, mood, perception, and/or speech that are considered related to levels of certain neurotransmitters. ... (The Chemical Imbalance in Mental Health Problems, Joseph M. Carver, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist)
3. "Tourette's syndrome gene": In 2005, scientists looking for quick fame and the media outlets looking to sell newspapers, made irresponsible claims that a gene "SLITRK1" caused Tourette's syndrome. Of course a close examination of the actual science clearly demonstrates that this is as unproven as it is theoretical. The claim to have discovered the "Tourette's syndrome gene" is similar to the past bogus claims of discovering the "deviant sex practitioner gene" or the "Alcoholic gene".

B. All treatments ineffective: shocks, drugs

1. Deep brain Stimulation has been proposed:

"Jose found some hope that a new procedure called, "Deep Brain Stimulation" would correct the random electrical short circuits in his brain. But he was a little worried about having two meat thermometers pushed into his brain, so he decided to just live with his disease." (The case of "Twitchy)

2. Brain scans cannot diagnose any mental illness, much less Tourette's or OCD. In fact fMRI measures blood flow and nothing more. It is assumed that this blood flow corresponds with electrical activity. The leap from electrical activity to intelligent identical behaviour patterns is irresponsible. Epilepsy, on the other hand, is a biological/medical matter, but the damaged brain causes random, spastic and unintelligent behaviours. The difference between a tic and a seizure is rather simple to differentiate.

 Conclusion:

1. Christians reject man is nothing more than a collection of chemicals and electricity. Christians reject that behaviours are dependent upon DNA.
2. All behaviour is a freewill choice. The benefits of engaging in the behaviours of Tourette's syndrome and OCD range from satisfaction of inner lusts (tic additions) to attention seeking, to the desire to simply be annoying. However, once patterns of any behaviours have been formed, it is increasingly difficult to change.
3. The mind is always in full control over the body when it comes to the behaviours of Tourette's syndrome and OCD.
4. When a person truly believes he has the power to stop his debilitating tics and annoying repetitive behaviours, he can click his little red "freewill shoes" together three times and cure himself.

By Steve Rudd: Contact the author for comments, input or corrections.

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