Teen Fights Tourette's Syndrome Stigma

Sometimes she shouts expletives or moves uncontrollably, but Katy Gough isn’t hiding her condition.

Instead, the teen has been sharing her experiences with Tourette’s syndrome on her YouTube page since 2014–around the time she learned of her diagnosis.

“It was the most spontaneous decision I have ever made in my entire life,” she tells CNN about the first video she posted.

Tourette’s syndrome manifests in small tics and involuntary movements. Some people who suffer the condition also have what Gough experiences–coprolalia, which results in shouting expletives. In one of her videos, she explains that it’s a condition that “waxes and wanes.”

“I thought this would be a good way of reaching out to people and showing support for others. I uploaded to YouTube to see what kind of response I got and carry it from that,” she said.