Emma's Journey: Overcoming Tourettes and Embracing Motherhood

Emma, 23, has lived with Tourettes syndrome since childhood and has battled bullying. Now, she aims to inspire others.

At the start of summer, something happened that Emma Svendsen, 23, was often told wouldn't suit someone like her – she became a mother for the first time.

Emma was born in Östersund but now lives in Norway. Throughout her upbringing, she faced many prejudices due to a diagnosis she has had since she was young: Emma has Tourettes syndrome.

The Bullying That Left Scars

Emma was diagnosed at the age of seven, after her brother received the same diagnosis and her parents noticed similar patterns in her.

– I had many tics, like humming sounds, compulsive thoughts, and I would twitch or grind my teeth, says Emma.

Throughout elementary school, Emma was bullied, and the bullying triggered her tics, causing her to feel ashamed of her diagnosis.

– Some people during my upbringing said: "If you come to my house, I have to hide the knives, otherwise you'll start throwing them," Emma recounts.

Emma wanted to rid herself of the diagnosis and began thinking that if she had the chance to undergo surgery, she would take it.

– It was like an enemy inside me, says Emma.

The surgery involves implanting electrodes in the brain to use weak electrical currents to suppress severe tics.

But over time, Emma learned to live with her diagnosis and her tics, marking the beginning of a new journey in her life.

– My parents have always helped me when school was tough, and they have always tried to learn about my diagnosis.

The Turning Point – The Help That Saved Emma

In the middle of high school, Emma received help from a specialist doctor and psychologist in Umeå, a time that was crucial for her. She is even unsure if she would be alive today without the help.

– There, I learned to think that Tourettes is a diagnosis I have, it is not who I am.

Emma began learning to manage her tics. For example, when her head told her to clench her fist, it was about focusing and trying to do the opposite instead – something that required a lot of energy.

The Prejudices That Persist

Emma began speaking openly about her diagnosis on social media, and despite hateful comments, she was motivated to break the stigma around Tourettes syndrome. One of her clips has 180,000 views on TikTok.

What do you think has contributed to the prejudices about Tourettes syndrome?

– Often in TV shows, the worst examples are highlighted. It makes people think: "Oh, here's someone with Tourettes who swears, throws, and spits."

Emma points out that tics vary and not everyone is the same. But due to prejudices, she has noticed that some even question whether she has Tourettes syndrome at all.

– People who doubt whether I have it do so because I shake or maybe make strange sounds. Not like how it is sometimes portrayed on TV.

"It's the Best Medicine I've Had"

Emma dreams of giving lectures about Tourettes syndrome, especially in schools where she believes knowledge about these types of diagnoses is particularly important.

But the dreams of lecturing have to be put on hold, at least for now, as Emma has recently become a mother for the first time. It has not only disproven the prejudices against her – it has also helped her find an inner peace.

Emma feels prepared to have the conversation if it turns out that her child also has Tourettes syndrome.

– Then it's perfect that I am his mother. Because then I know what feelings he is going through.

Today, Emma is medication-free and has learned to manage her diagnosis. The tics continue, and she is aware that she will have to live with it. But Emma describes her new life as a mother as a new form of healing she has never experienced before.

– It's the best medicine I've had, she says with a smile.