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billie eilish has 'made friends' with tourette syndrome
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billie eilish in chanel during the oscars arrivals at the 92nd academy awards in hollywood, los angeles, california, u.s., february 9, 2020. (reuters: mike blake)
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billie eilish has opened up about living with tourette syndrome, a condition of the nervous system that involves making involuntary movements or sounds, called “tics.” the grammy award-winning singer and songwriter, 20, first revealed that she had the condition in 2018, but hasn’t spoken widely about it until having a conversation with talk show host david letterman during the first episode of his netflix show “my next guest needs no introduction.”
at one point in their conversation about music and fame, eilish cranes her neck to the side and opens her mouth. when letterman asks her if there’s a fly buzzing around, she explains it’s a tic, brought on by the bright lights. “if you film me for long enough, you’re gonna see lots of tics,” she said.
she’s comfortable answering his questions about the condition, she told letterman.
“i’m very happy talking about it… i actually really love answering questions about it because it’s very, very interesting. and i am incredibly confused by it, and i don’t get it,” she said.
there’s no known cause for tourette syndrome, according to the mayo clinic — it’s thought to be caused by some combination of genetic and environmental factors.
before a tic comes on, people will sometimes feel a tingling sensation, which won’t go away until the sound or movement is done. “you might be able to hold your tics back for a little while, but you probably can’t stop them from happening,” webmd explains.
tourette syndrome usually starts in childhood
it usually starts in childhood, and is more common in boys than girls: a 2016 canadian study found it affected about six out of 1000 boys, and 0.48 out of 1000 girls. but there’s no consensus on how many people in canada have the condition, according to tourette canada: estimates range between 0.1 and 3.8 per cent of the population. the u.s. centers for disease control and prevention found that about 174,000 american children between the ages of three and 17 have been diagnosed with tourette’s, and that about half of children with the condition haven’t been formally diagnosed.
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people with tourette’s often experience worsening tics when they’re tired, stressed or excited. symptoms can also change over time: some people who experience severe tics in childhood or adolescence find they ease up considerably as they get older, according to the mayo clinic.
eilish was diagnosed with tourette’s at age 11, she said. there are some tics she does regularly — wiggling her ear, raising her eyebrow, clicking her jaw — that are relatively subtle. “there are things you would never notice if you’re just having a conversation with me,” she said. “but for me, they’re very exhausting.” eilish said she has no idea what her specific tics mean, or where they come from.
it doesn’t happen when she performs, she said: “when i’m moving around, i’m not ticcing at all.”
in everyday life, when people see her make a face or an unexpected sound, they’ll often laugh because they think she’s trying to be funny, she said. she sometimes finds that offensive, because she isn’t trying to be funny at all — it’s just something that happens.
since she first revealed her diagnosis several years ago, she’s heard a lot from other people with tourette’s, including other musicians. “a couple of artists came forward and said, ‘i’ve actually always had tourette’s,” she told letterman. “i’m not going to out them because they don’t want to talk about it. but that was actually really interesting to me because i was like, ‘you do? what?'”
some people deal with more complex tics, like repeating words over and over or hopping involuntarily. there’s a common stereotype that tourette’s always involves yelling obscene things — but that specific symptom, called coprolalia, affects only about ten per cent of people with tourette’s. in fact, many tics are quite subtle: clearing the throat, coughing, shrugging shoulders. “so many people have it that you would never know,” eilish said.
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people with severe tourette’s are sometimes prescribed medication, often drugs like haloperidol that rebalance dopamine levels. a specific kind of therapy called habit-reversal training can also help people prevent their tics from coming on. but many people with tourette’s have only mild tics and don’t need medication.
eilish told letterman she’s learned to live with her condition.
“it’s not like i like it, but i feel like it’s part of me,” she said. “i have made friends with it. so now i’m pretty confident in it.”
maija kappler is a reporter and editor at healthing. you can reach her at mkappler@postmedia.com
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