Latest news with #Tourette'sAwarenessMonth
1News
14-06-2025
- Health
- 1News
‘I wouldn't change it': Living with Tourette's
'You're always in the centre of attention, whether you like it or not,' says Oliver Dawson, 20, who has been ticking since he was a kid. Re: News sat down with Oliver to ask him what it's like to live with Tourette's. Watch the full video on TVNZ+ Tourette syndrome is a neurological condition characterised by involuntary movements and sounds, known as tics. It's currently Tourette's Awareness Month, which goes from May 15 to June 15. ADVERTISEMENT Within Tourette's there are motor tics, which include blinking and twitching, and vocal tics which include grunting, sniffing and saying particular words or phrases. Tourette's Association of New Zealand says 'tics are not behavioural and cannot simply be controlled'. The association said Tourette's affects an estimated 1 in 100 people, including those with chronic or transient tic disorders, and there is no formal government-funded support for Tourette's. 'Many remain undiagnosed or are misdiagnosed, particularly girls, Māori and Pasifika individuals, and those in rural areas.' Oliver has had several tics over the years He says his current tics are mostly 'clicking noises or popping noises, a lot of shadowboxing with my head'. 'My arms go a lot more than anything else.' ADVERTISEMENT His previous tics included a hand-raising tic, bomb noise tics, throwing things down lecture halls and a tic where he breathed out loudly through his nose. Oliver says he can sometimes feel his tics coming on and that they can build up like a sneeze. 'When I'm in environments where I'm very comfortable and ticking is almost appropriate, I tend to tic less. But when I'm in classes or exams or even a funeral, a lot more comes.' The Tourette's Association is telling people to 'please ignore' people's tics . Oliver's diagnosis took some time He was diagnosed with a tic disorder when he was six-years-old, but the tics went away when he was in year seven and year eight. 'It really came back, I think, at around year 10. I borderline swung at a teacher who was bent over my desk helping me. ADVERTISEMENT 'We kind of ended up going to the psychologists again and eventually getting diagnosed with Tourette syndrome.' 'Please ignore it' This year, Tourette's Association of New Zealand is telling people to 'please ignore' people's tics and to avoid having an outward reaction. Oliver says he feels the same way. 'I don't want you to kind of turn a blind eye to the fact that it exists. But in that moment, I don't really need the attention every four seconds.' Watch the full interview on TVNZ+
Scoop
15-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
An Awareness Campaign That Wants You To Ignore It
TANZ - Latest News [Page 1] Tourette's Association of New Zealand and Saatchi & Saatchi NZ create the first anti-awareness awareness campaign for Tourette's Awareness Month 2025. When it comes to Tourette's, attention often makes things worse. More >> Some Medical Alarms Not Working Thursday, 16 February 2023, 11:41 am | TANZ Medical alarm suppliers are advising clients some alarms may not be working because of power, cellular and phone line outages. Medical alarms are used to alert emergency services (Hato Hone St John and Wellington Free Ambulance) if the client has a medical ... More >>
Scoop
15-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
An Awareness Campaign That Wants You To Ignore It
Press Release – TANZ Tourettes Association of New Zealand and Saatchi & Saatchi NZ create the first anti-awareness awareness campaign for Tourettes Awareness Month 2025. When it comes to Tourettes, attention often makes things worse. Most awareness campaigns ask for your attention. This one is screaming for you to ignore it. To mark Tourette's Awareness Month (15th May – 15th June), the Tourette's Association of New Zealand (TANZ) has launched 'Please Ignore It' – a new campaign that twists the convention of traditional awareness efforts. When it comes to Tourette's, attention often makes things worse. And it was this simple insight that led the creative team to such an unexpected theme. 'When someone has a tic, the last thing they want is more attention,' says Emma Henderson, TANZ General Manager. 'Most people think of Tourette's as the neurological disorder that makes people swear or shout profanities, which is a form of tic that only impacts 10% of people with Tourette's. So, when they meet or see someone with other types of tics, they're often caught off guard and unsure how to respond. What they don't realise is that drawing focus to the tic – whether through staring, pointing it out awkwardly, or falling into awkward silences – can actually increase that person's stress, making their tics even more frequent or pronounced. That's why we're giving people one simple piece of advice: please ignore it.' Despite 1 in 100 young Kiwi's experiencing tics or Tourette's, the syndrome is not considered a disability in New Zealand, meaning it gets zero government funding. Relying solely on grants and donations, the campaign urges New Zealanders to pay cash, not pay attention. Says Jordan Sky, Executive Creative Director at Saatchi & Saatchi NZ: 'People with Tourette's get unwanted attention 12 months of the year. We wanted to draw attention to the fact they'd rather not be drawing your attention.' 'The reactions can be worse than the tics,' says Emma Henderson. 'What many people don't realise is that the staring, laughing, even awkward silences are far more distressing than the condition itself. This campaign helps normalise Tourette's in a way that's empowering, not patronising.' 'It's great when the creative answer to a brief is right there in the brief,' says Steve Cochran, Chief Creative Officer at Saatchi & Saatchi NZ. 'Knowing people with a tic would prefer us just to ignore it became the campaign idea. An ad asking you to ignore it means you can't help but pay attention. This irony makes the message all the more potent, helping educate people about Tourette's and how to behave around it.' That tension between asking to be ignored and being impossible to ignore extends into the campaign's visual language. The campaign's design reflects the unpredictable, disruptive nature of Tourette's itself. Designed in intentionally loud, brash colours, the bold, angular typography takes cues from the jagged pulse-like burst patterns of an EEG brainwave – evoking the neurological activity behind a tic. The resulting design makes the 'PLEASE IGNORE IT' message feel frenetic as though shifting in volume and intensity, mirroring the involuntary motor and vocal tics that define the condition. Thanks to TANZ's media partners – NZME, Mediaworks, LUMO, Go Media, Stuff, oOh! Media and Phantom Billstickers – the 'Please Ignore It' campaign will run from May 15th – June 15th across radio, digital, outdoor and social – assuming, of course, you pay attention.
Scoop
15-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
An Awareness Campaign That Wants You To Ignore It
Most awareness campaigns ask for your attention. This one is screaming for you to ignore it. To mark Tourette's Awareness Month (15th May – 15th June), the Tourette's Association of New Zealand (TANZ) has launched 'Please Ignore It' – a new campaign that twists the convention of traditional awareness efforts. When it comes to Tourette's, attention often makes things worse. And it was this simple insight that led the creative team to such an unexpected theme. 'When someone has a tic, the last thing they want is more attention,' says Emma Henderson, TANZ General Manager. 'Most people think of Tourette's as the neurological disorder that makes people swear or shout profanities, which is a form of tic that only impacts 10% of people with Tourette's. So, when they meet or see someone with other types of tics, they're often caught off guard and unsure how to respond. What they don't realise is that drawing focus to the tic – whether through staring, pointing it out awkwardly, or falling into awkward silences – can actually increase that person's stress, making their tics even more frequent or pronounced. That's why we're giving people one simple piece of advice: please ignore it.' Despite 1 in 100 young Kiwi's experiencing tics or Tourette's, the syndrome is not considered a disability in New Zealand, meaning it gets zero government funding. Relying solely on grants and donations, the campaign urges New Zealanders to pay cash, not pay attention. Says Jordan Sky, Executive Creative Director at Saatchi & Saatchi NZ: 'People with Tourette's get unwanted attention 12 months of the year. We wanted to draw attention to the fact they'd rather not be drawing your attention.' 'The reactions can be worse than the tics,' says Emma Henderson. 'What many people don't realise is that the staring, laughing, even awkward silences are far more distressing than the condition itself. This campaign helps normalise Tourette's in a way that's empowering, not patronising.' 'It's great when the creative answer to a brief is right there in the brief,' says Steve Cochran, Chief Creative Officer at Saatchi & Saatchi NZ. 'Knowing people with a tic would prefer us just to ignore it became the campaign idea. An ad asking you to ignore it means you can't help but pay attention. This irony makes the message all the more potent, helping educate people about Tourette's and how to behave around it.' That tension between asking to be ignored and being impossible to ignore extends into the campaign's visual language. The campaign's design reflects the unpredictable, disruptive nature of Tourette's itself. Designed in intentionally loud, brash colours, the bold, angular typography takes cues from the jagged pulse-like burst patterns of an EEG brainwave – evoking the neurological activity behind a tic. The resulting design makes the 'PLEASE IGNORE IT' message feel frenetic as though shifting in volume and intensity, mirroring the involuntary motor and vocal tics that define the condition. Thanks to TANZ's media partners – NZME, Mediaworks, LUMO, Go Media, Stuff, oOh! Media and Phantom Billstickers – the 'Please Ignore It' campaign will run from May 15th – June 15th across radio, digital, outdoor and social – assuming, of course, you pay attention.
