(NewsNation) — In 2018, Baylen Dupree, 21, was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by rapid, repetitive muscle tics and sounds.
Now, with over 9 million TikTok followers, Dupree is documenting her life, educating people on what it’s like to live with the syndrome.
“I want people to learn that Tourette’s is … a neurological involuntary motor and vocal disorder,” Dupree said Tuesday on “CUOMO.” “There’s a lot of things that people don’t understand, like people think that cussing is (typical) with everyone who has Tourette syndrome, but it’s only in 10% of people with Tourette’s.”
Dupree has both motor and vocal tics, which she explains in one video can be influenced by images or sounds she sees in movies, TV shows or on social media. Tics can range from inconsequential to severe and are disabling in some cases, according to the Tourette Association of America.
As she’s gained more of a public following throughout the years, she says she’s reached lots of people who are inquisitive about the condition, but also those who bring a level of scrutiny and skepticism.
“I think there’s a lot more people that don’t understand what Tourette’s is and they like to educate their selves more, so I get thousands of DMs from parents, from teachers, from girls that have been diagnosed with Tourette’s and they’ve had to be kicked out of school for attention seeking because they rip up their homework or do things like that,” Dupree said. “I also get very evil people … that have told me that my parents deserve to die in a car accident because I’m faking my condition.”
She’s found that her tics subside while at the gym, which she says is a “safe place” where she can channel her energy and stay focused.
“I love it. It’s my release,” she said.