It’s a month dedicated to awareness of Tourette’s Syndrome – with a campaign message that couldn’t be more contradictory: “Please Ignore It”.
The Tourette’s Association of New Zealand is driving a campaign this year which it said boils down to “anti-awareness”.
General manager, Emma Henderson, said research shows about 1% of people live with Tourette’s Syndrome or tics, making the conversation about how to respond to someone’s tics an important one.
“When people around you ignore the tics — instead of reacting, staring, or commenting — it helps take away some of the pressure,” she said.
Many people with TS feel self-conscious about their tics, “especially if they’re trying hard to fit in”.
“Ignoring the tics shows acceptance. It sends a quiet message: “You’re safe here. You don’t have to hide.”
When in conversation, Henderson said people often want to help, but don’t realise the best support is often quiet acceptance.
“We hear from so many families that just one teacher, coach or friend who doesn’t make a fuss can completely change a child’s confidence.”
What makes tics tick?
While ignoring tics may help someone with Tourette’s, Henderson said the opposite is also true.
“Focusing on someone’s tics can absolutely make them worse. The more a person is aware of their tics or feels pressure to stop them, the more likely those tics are to build up and break through.
“It’s a bit like trying not to blink, sneeze or scratch an itch — the urge just grows. For kids especially, being constantly corrected or watched can lead to anxiety, frustration, and even meltdowns.
“On the flip side, when people are relaxed, distracted, or doing something they love, tics often reduce.”
How to explain Tourette’s to kids
For kids running into Tourette’s for the first time, Henderson has a simple way of explaining it.
“We often say: ‘Tourette’s is like having hiccups in your body or brain — you don’t mean to do it, and you can’t just stop.’ Kids understand that. We also explain that it’s not contagious, it’s not naughty behaviour, and it’s not funny to copy someone’s tics.”
She said the best way kids can respond is by being kind, and saying something like “that’s just a tic — it’s no big deal”.
“It really is a simple acknowledgement if necessary and then move on. Generally, they don’t affect anyone else, so leave it be.”
It’s not all about swearing
Henderson said most people don’t know Tourette’s is much more than just swearing, and the swearing tic, named coprolalia, only affects about 10% of people with the condition.
She also said people often assume tics are behavioural, and a person is being “silly, rude, or trying to get attention”.
But while living with Tourette’s can be hard, Henderson said getting a diagnosis of the syndrome can be transformational – and it can “also build resilience, creativity, and a great sense of humour”.
Without government funding for Tourette’s, Henderson said this is where the charity steps in, to provide information, advocacy and support.
How ‘anti-awareness’ came to be
The Tourette’s Association tasked marketing agency Saatchi & Saatchi with an awareness campaign – but the agency’s chief creative officer, Steve Cochran, said the creative team quickly discovered the “great tension and contradiction” to build a message.
“In researching what it was like to live with Tourette’s, the creative team discovered that one thing people with tics want, is that others just ignore their tics.
“We needed to raise awareness of something that we would like you to ignore. This seemed an arresting way to get people engaged in the subject.”
Cochran said the theme of the campaign is “deliberately arresting and quite disruptive with its brash and unapologetic tone”.
“An awareness campaign screaming for you to ignore it simply demands attention. There’s an aspect of this that mirrors the very nature of tics. Tics are often impossible not to notice, but those who have them would ask you to just accept it for what it is by just ignoring it.”
On the message, Henderson said “we’re not asking our community to hide or change who they are — we’re asking Aotearoa to change how it responds.
“It’s about shifting the focus from ‘fixing’ people with Tourette’s to building a more understanding and inclusive society around them.
“We’ve been so moved by the response so far — people in New Zealand genuinely want to learn, to understand, and to know how they can help. That gives us so much hope.”
