Billie Eilish reveals how she 'suppresses' Tourette's tics following childhood diagnosis
Topics: Billie Eilish, Celebrity, Podcasts
Rhiannon Ingle
Featured Image Credit: YouTube/Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Topics: Billie Eilish, Celebrity, Podcasts
Over the years, American singer Billie Eilish has been very open about her Tourette's syndrome diagnosis after receiving a diagnosis back when she was just 11 years old.
The NHS explains that Tourette's syndrome is a condition that causes you to make sudden, repetitive sounds or movements (tics). While there is no cure, treatment can help manage the tics.
The main symptom of Tourette's is tics, which can involve repetitive sounds (vocal tics) or movements (motor tics) you do not choose to make and cannot control.
Tics involving sounds may include whistling, repeating a sound, word or phrase and swearing, while tics involving movement may include rolling your eyes or blinking, jerking or twitching movements and jumping
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They can be triggered by different things, including stress, excitement or tiredness.
Speaking on a recent episode of Amy Poehler's Good Hang podcast (5 May), 24-year-old Eilish shared that she is 'doing everything I can' in order to suppress her tics.
"I do have Tourette’s and I have vocal tics, but luckily for me and for everyone else, they’re mostly just noises, and I can keep them pretty quiet," the Grammy award-winning singer explained.
"I go through phases of words becoming tics, but there’s a thing called suppressing, if you ever heard of it.
"When I’m in an interview, I’m doing everything in my power to suppress all of my tics constantly. And as soon as I leave the room, I have to let them all out."
Detailing what it's like dealing with intrusive thoughts alongside her Tourette's, Eilish continued: "Imagine those intrusive thoughts, but your mouth has to say them out loud, right? That is Tourette syndrome."
She added: "I think what’s troubling about the way that people do not understand what Tourette’s is, if I start having a tic attack, like a lot of tics in a row, people are like, 'Are you OK?'
"This is very much normal. It’s like, if you didn’t see me tic today, you’re not looking at my knees, which are tic-ing constantly under this table, and my elbows that are like … I’m clenching my arms the entire time."
Eilish outlined: "It’s because I’m currently on camera and I’m having a conversation, and I’m trying not to be distracting.
"I’m really doing this the whole time – as much fun as I’m having – I’m doing everything I can to suppress every single tic that’s visible, from the top of my head to [my waist]."
She added that that's how she and other people diagnosed with Tourette's 'pretty much spend our days'.
"Some people don’t even have the privilege of getting to suppress them at all in any way. The not understanding of that is really frustrating, as a person with Tourette’s," Eilish noted.