7 Important Tips For Dating Someone With Mild Tourettes

According to the CDC, 3 out of every 1000 people will be diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome between the ages of 6 and 17 years old.

While symptoms of Tourettes can come and go over the years, most people who have been accurately diagnosed will experience ticks to some degree throughout their whole life.

When you get past the small differences that people with Tourettes have in comparison to non-Tourettes sufferers, they’re just normal people. That probably comes as no surprise to you if you’re reading this article since you or somebody you know may be considering dating someone who has Tourettes.

The truth is, navigating a relationship with a person who has mild Tourettes is 95% the same as any other relationship you’ll navigate. In order to better manage the 5% that’s different, below, our team shares some helpful pointers.

1. Keep Things Light

Tourettes is a neurological disorder that’s marked by any number of involuntary actions sufferers exhibit. These actions can range from saying things to making involuntary movements.

Actions are often commonly referred to as “ticks”.

While triggers for ticks vary from person to person, stress has been cited as one of the primary culprits.

For that reason, we recommend that you keep outings with the person you’re dating as stress-free as possible. (Dates are supposed to be stress-free anyway, right?)

Roll with things that come up throughout the evening. Don’t put any pressure on your partner. Aim to have a good time.

If you can aspire to that, you’ll find that you run into a lot less Tourettes-related problems.

2. Know That Ticks are Involuntary

We’ve mentioned this already but we will say it again – Ticks are involuntary. Like 100% involuntary.

That means that flare-ups in tick activity with your partner can happen at the most inopportune times. We’re talking in a movie theater, in a fancy restaurant… literally anywhere.

Understand that before you date someone with mild Tourettes. Be prepared for the occasional embarrassing situation and make sure you and your partner are on the same page about how you’re going to handle situations when they come up.

3. Ignore Stuff That Can Be Ignored

We’re sure that on your first couple of dates, ticks might be a conversation topic or something that your partner tries to poke fun at themselves over.

After you’ve broken the ice on your partner’s Tourettes however, unless they want to talk more about it, just ignore it.

Don’t point out every tick when it happens. Don’t talk about triggers. Don’t point out when you think you’re noticing a new tick.

Unless you can’t ignore something because it poses an immediate issue for you, leave it to the person you’re dating to drive conversations around their mild Tourettes. You’ll find that if you force yourself to look past ticks for a while, doing so will eventually come naturally.

4. Make It Clear That It’s Safe to Communicate

Sometimes the person you’re dating who is suffering from mild Tourettes may feel like they’re particularly unconformable with their disorder on a certain day or in a certain place. They may not want to tell you about their discomfort however for fear of drawing judgment.

The best thing you can do as soon as possible in your relationship is make clear that you’re always open to conversations and accommodating needs that stem from having Tourettes.

You reassuring your partner that you will never judge them for their situation will help avoid pent up discomfort in your relationship.

5. Take Note of Triggers and Use That Info To Guide Your Actions

Just because we don’t recommend striking up conversations about Tourettes triggers when you notice them doesn’t mean that we don’t think it’s a good idea for you to take mental notes.

If you’re noticing that particular things are causing your partner who has Tourettes problems, steer clear of those things.

You trying to create a comfortable situation for the person you’re dating isn’t unlike what you would do with anybody, Tourettes or no Tourettes. Be proactive and always try to be as mindful a partner as possible.

6. Have a Sense of Humor

Some people who date mild Tourettes sufferers will find themselves walking on eggshells and feeling sorry for the person they’re dating. The truth is though that a lot of people with Tourettes have a great sense of humor about it.

You’ll obviously want to gauge your partner’s unique disposition towards their disorder but if they’re open to joking, laughing, and poking fun at themselves, take their cue and be equally lighthearted.

When you can laugh at something, it ceases to become the elephant in the room. With that elephant removed from your relationship, you can have a much more meaningful connection.

7. Don’t Try to Fix Them

Don’t try to fix your partner.

We promise you that odds are your partner is well aware of their condition. They probably have seen or are currently seeing specialists and may even be on medication. They have a grasp on what the best course of action is for them to manage their condition.

Don’t do research online and start suggesting fixes or making corrections to the person you’re dating’s lifestyle in order to “make them better”.

As we mentioned earlier, Tourettes symptoms can come and go over the years. Be prepared to accept the person you’re dating during their ups and downs or steer clear of getting into a relationship with them all together.

Wrapping Up Important Tips For Dating Someone With Mild Tourettes

People with mild Tourettes are for the most part like anybody else you’d ever date. Show them courtesy and consideration and you’ll find that their disorder starts to fade into the background and you can start to properly connect.

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