When you’re (not) the stereotype: coprolalia stigma in the lives of adults with Tourette syndrome

Our guest today is Rena Zito, associate professor of sociology in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Elon University in North Carolina, U.S.A and a person with Tourette Syndrome.

Her research focuses on social stigma, including how stigmatised populations form identities, preserve dignity, and combat social exclusion.

 

Drawing on interviews with 30 adults diagnosed with TS, she explores how this narrow stereotype circulates in media and everyday interactions, and how adults with TS push back against it, sometimes with unintended consequences for those whose tics confirm the stereotype.

 

Rena concludes that correcting myths about TS is vital, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of people with coprolalia. Advocacy groups, individuals with TS, and medical professionals can foster inclusion by acknowledging the full range of TS experiences and framing coprolalia as one of many possible tic expressions rather than treating it as an unfortunate exception.

 

Contact Rena Zito: rzito@elon.edu 

Bio: https://www.elon.edu/u/news/author/rzito/

View her article: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01639625.2025.2531145