eyesonly_

Seems more like a lifestyle than a hobby.

Once you've filled out at least two grant proposals and written at least one paper, you're automatically inducted into the league of scientists.

I've collected the whole set: TS, anxiety, ADHD, and OCD. I lucked out with my tics though, when I was younger it was a very noticeable - I blinked more than all the people around my combined and had this annoying head twitching that everyone always had questions about. I'm 23 now, and while it hasn't gone away, it's gotten a lot less noticeable. Still blinking a hell of a lot, but the head twitching has been replaced with random muscle contractions. No vocal tics at all.

Well I didn't start taking medication for it until I was 21. It was apparent to everyone that knew me that I had extreme difficulty concentrating from an early age. I would frequently make mistakes due to inattention (glossing over negative signs in math class, etc). The meds helped a lot (methylphenidate, in case you're wondering) but I also learned to harness it. With ADHD, it's extremely difficult to do mundane things, but I've been lucky enough to find a job where I get to solve difficult programming challenges, and that brings out the 'hyperfocus' which actually allows me to be really good at what I do. With any of these disorders, I think that it is important to realize that they might be with you for the rest of your life, and that as you go along, you will find new and creative ways to manage them. On a side note: ADHD, OCD, and TS have been tied to a group of neurons that change pretty dramatically once you reach 'adulthood'. (As far as I know, around the 21-22 range, but I don't know enough to say for sure). This is something I've read about and is not necessarily fact (more research is needed.) However, it does explain that most of these conditions are seen to vanish or lessen with age.