title: Can tics be performed convincingly by an actor?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In the German movie "Vincent will Meer" a healthy actor portrays a man with Tourette's syndrome. Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the performance of tics is convincing and whether this judgment depends on whether he/she suffers from tics or not.
  
  
  METHODS
  While the movie was broadcasted in German cinemas, we put an online survey (including 28 questions on different aspects related to the observation, performance, and authenticity of tics) on the web pages of the German self-help group. 276/296 surveys submitted could be used for further analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  95.7% of all participants felt that the performance of tics was convincing. However, people with tics (n = 26) were less convinced compared to those who had never met a person with tics (n = 110) (P = 0.020).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results further support the hypothesis that tics are not "abnormal" but "physiological" movements that are only misplaced both in time and context.
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Kirsten R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Müller-Vahl
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Riemann
authors.affiliation: German Tourette Self Help Group (Tourette Gesellschaft Deutschland, TGD e.V.), c/o Clinic of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Hermann
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Krämer
authors.affiliation: Department of Movement Disorders and Neuropsychiatry in Children and Adults, University of Lübeck, Maria-Goeppert-Straße 1, 23562 Lübeck, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Münchau
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007100:Imitative Behavior; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009040:Motion Pictures; D010465:Perception; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D020323:Tics / Q000523:psychology*; D005879:Tourette Syndrome / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult