New Delhi, Oct. 10 -- Some decades ago, a saleswoman rang my doorbell, and at that moment I had a tic that sounded like the snarl of a very bad-tempered dog.

When I opened the door, she was standing there, terrified, braced to be mauled by whatever savage animal she had just heard. While she hesitatingly launched into her sales pitch, her eyes kept darting over my shoulder, hunting for the source of that ferocious sound. I brushed off her questions because I was embarrassed, and she left.

I have Tourette syndrome, a neurological condition that sends movements and sounds into the world without asking permission. Mine include sounds that could pass for an enraged Rottweiler, whistling, throat clearing and head jerking.

It began when I wa...