Billie Eilish, a 20-year-old pop star who won seven Grammies opens up about her “exhausting” experience with Tourette’s syndrome; but she said that even though it is “exhausting,” she has made her peace with it.
The singer said she is offended when people joke about her condition in an interview with David Letterman for his Netflix series My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.
People frequently mistook her tics for jokes, according to the Grammy winner.
“The most common way that people react is they laugh because they think I’m trying to be funny…I’m always left incredibly offended by that.”
She went on to say that, while she is ‘extremely offended’ by people laughing at her tics, she isn’t afraid to talk about her condition and is ‘very happy talking about it.’
Letterman asked if she had seen a fly after the Lovely singer turned her head and opened her mouth during the conversation.
“No I’m ticcing,” the singer replied after which the host apologized.
Eilish revealed that lights had triggered her tics, adding, “If you film me for long enough, you’re going to see lots of tics. I don’t care. It’s really weird, I haven’t talked about it at all.”
“I really love answering questions about it, because it’s very very interesting. And I am incredibly confused by it. I don’t get it,” she admitted.
“For me, they’re very exhausting,” the singer continued. “It’s not like I like it, but I feel like it is part of me. I have made friends with it. And so now, I’m pretty confident in it.”
Tourette’s syndrome is a neurological disorder that causes involuntary movements known as tics, as per the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Tics can be twitching, actions or even sounds and phrases repeated over and over. A person with Tourette’s syndrome has no control over their tics and is unable to stop them, similar to a hiccup.
According to the UK NHS, Tourette’s can lead to anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the long run.
The UK NHS added that Symptoms of Tourette’s typically start showing up in childhood, around the age of 5 – 10.
The Happier than Ever singer went on to reveal that she was diagnosed with the syndrome at age 11.
Tics can sometimes fade away or even disappear with time.
Tourette’s tics can be physical:
- Excessive Blinking
- Eye rolling
- Grimacing
- Shoulder shrugging
- Jerking of the head or limbs
- Touching objects and other people
They can also be vocal:
- Humming
- Grunting
- Throat clearing
- Whistling
- Tongue clicking
- Animal sounds
- Saying random words and phrases
- Repeating a sound, word or phrase
- Swearing
Tourette’s syndrome has no cure; however, it can be managed with treatment.
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Sources: Dailywire, Americansongwriter, Usatoday
