'Idol' finalist Durbin is singing through Tourette's

Among those turning heads on this season's American Idol is contestant James Durbin. Notable for his impressive vocal range, Durbin, 22, of Santa Cruz, Calif., has also caught viewers' attention with his frank and moving discussion about having been diagnosed with Asperger and Tourette syndromes.

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  By Chris Pizzello, AP

  'American Idol' finalist James Durbin poses at the Finalists Party in Los Angeles.

By Chris Pizzello, AP

'American Idol' finalist James Durbin poses at the Finalists Party in Los Angeles.

At an Idol reception last week, Durbin told USA TODAY that he loves hearing that people are inspired by his history of overcoming adversity "because it fuels me to do better and to push myself even further."

Tourette's isn't just cursing

Although awareness of Asperger's ? a high-functioning form of autism ? has grown in recent years, Tourette's is lesser known, and there are many misconceptions about the condition, experts say.

An inherited, neurological disorder marked by tics ? involuntary, sudden movements and/or vocal outbursts that occur repeatedly ? Tourette's afflicts an estimated 200,000 people in the USA, the Tourette Syndrome Association says. Men have it at least three to four times more often than women, but it's unclear why.

Symptoms can range from mild tics such as blinking and grimacing to more complex movements including hopping, bending and punching oneself, as well as vocalizations such as growls, throat-clearing or the repetition of curse words.

Coprolalia, in which patients curse or spit out racial epithets uncontrollably, "gets a lot of attention in movies and TV but in fact is actually quite rare, occurring in only about 10% of Tourette's patients," says John Piacentini, UCLA professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences.

There is no cure, and the primary treatment, historically, has been with medication. "That works pretty well but has been associated with some unwanted side effects that can be pretty daunting," Piacentini says, such as drowsiness, weight gain and impaired cognitive function.

In recent years, he and others have developed a behavior therapy that has shown success, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Some other notables who have Tourette syndrome:

Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Former NBA player

Jim Eisenreich, Former MLB player

Tim Howard, 2010 USA World Cup goalkeeper

Heather West, Chef, Hell's Kitchen Season 2 winner

Michael Wolff , Jazz pianist

Source: Tourette Syndrome Association

Tourette's typically first appears in early childhood and worsens in preteen years, but it tends to ease by late adolescence, says psychology professor Douglass Woods, director of the Tic Disorder Specialty Clinic at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. It peaks "when young people are most vulnerable to the challenges of early adolescence," Woods says.

That was the case for Ariel Small, now 17, of Highland Park, Ill., a high school junior and football player.

In middle school, the involuntary blinking, tongue thrusting, shrugging and vocalizations that had started in elementary school were met with teasing and ridicule. "Middle school was a rough period," he says.

He eventually found understanding and a sense of empowerment through a local Tourette Syndrome Association support group and training as a youth ambassador to educate others about the disorder.

High school, he says, has been a very different situation, in part because "everyone has their own things to deal with and is less interested in other people's issues," but also because he has gotten involved in sports, become more social and found "a group of friends who could move past" his condition.

'Idol' has seen it before

Woods notes that many with Tourette's "have symptoms and yet do just fine without a lot of impairment from their tics. They have friends, go to school, are involved in activities."

Dave Pittman, 29, of Mountain Home, Ark., says his tics practically disappeared in high school but intensified during college, when the typical student lifestyle ? "lack of sleep, bad diet, too much caffeine and stress" ? was compounded by the rigors of touring as part of a Liberty University singing group.

In 2010, he too landed on Idol, where he had a short run in the early rounds before being cut. But Pittman's dreams of a singing career are still on track. He's working on a solo album, which is scheduled to be released in May.

"Performing is my only spot where I escape the Tourette's world," he says.

Durbin agrees. At one audition, he told the American Idol judges he had been diagnosed with Tourette's, but "when I sing, it just all goes away. I don't have a care in the world."

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