Ep 129 | Living with Tourette Syndrome: Peter Yang Zhao

Description

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

May 15 to June 15th is Tourette Syndrome Awareness Month. Tourette Syndrome is usually diagnosed in childhood or adolescence. According to the Tourette Association of America 1 out of every 160 children between the ages of 5-17 in the United States has Tourette Syndrome and 1 out of every 100 children has Tourette Syndrome or another Tic Disorder.

In doing research for this interview, I visited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Tourette Association of America websites. On these websites, I noticed that resources for children with Tourette Syndrome and their parents to deal with bullying were prominently displayed. It’s an important reminder that there needs to be more awareness, tolerance and understanding of Tourette Syndrome, but not just in childhood but in society in general, amongst people of all ages.

My guest on this episode of Talking Taiwan is Tourette Activist, Peter Yang Zhao who we’ve had on previous episodes with Sergeant Steven Lee to talk about the topic of Asian hate. In this in depth interview, Peter explains what living with Tourette Syndrome is, how he got diagnosed, and speaks frankly about the challenges he’s had to overcome as a Touretter, and how he advocates for more awareness of Tourette Syndrome.

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

Peter’s connection to Taiwan
Georges Gilles de la Tourette
What is Tourette Syndrome
Coprolalia
The Tourette Syndrome iceberg
People with Tourette Syndrome are often affected by another co-occurring condition like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Depression
The connection between OCD and Tourette Syndrome
How Peter’s mother dealt with his Tourette Syndrome
Peter’s evolution of vocal tics and how he changed his vocal tics over years
How Peter was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome
How tics can change over time
Cognitive behavior training
Peter’s first tic which appeared at 8 years old
The stress Peter experienced while being bullied at school
The reflexology treatment that Peter initially received to treat his Tourette Syndrome
How Peter had to fight other students at school to defend himself and stop the bullying
What happened when Peter started taking an antipsychotic drug (pimozide) to control his tics
Coprographia
How Peter’s mother and doctors reacted to his complaints of increased intrusive thoughts
The physical and mental addiction that Peter developed to the drug
How tics are triggered
How Peter’s only escape from his intrusive thoughts was to sleep
How Peter started having suicidal thoughts
How Peter decided to stop taking the antipsychotic drug
What happened when Peter quit taking the drug
How Peter’s tics are seasonal
Tourette Association of America which is located in Bayside, NY
How Peter didn’t want to have kids because he was afraid of passing along the genes for Tourette Syndrome
Tourette’s Facebook support groups
How Peter was interviewed for the Tourette Syndrome podcast
#7DaysOfTourettes movement
The article Peter wrote about Ted Cruz’s tweet about Tourette Syndrome