Tic Disorder
Tic Disorder
Sudden, repetitive, involuntary muscular movement or vocal pattern.
Tic disorders feature involuntary repetitive (but non-rhythmic) patterns, and may be either motor tics (muscle movements) or vocal tics. Although tics are involuntary, the individual with a tic disorder can often repress the tic for a period of time. The occurrences of tics appear to be more likely when the individual is under stress or concentrating on a task, such as reading or writing. Most tics seem to nearly disappear during sleep.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, lists the following examples:
Both motor and vocal tics may be categorized as simple or complex, although the distinction between the two is not precise. Generally, a simple motor tic involves only one part of the body, while a complex tic is more involved and takes the form of some recognizable action. They also include imitating the actions of others and making involuntary obscene gestures. Complex vocal tics involve recognizable words or animal sounds as opposed
| Simple | Complex | |
| Motor tics | eye blinking | facia! gestures |
| neck jerking | grooming behaviors | |
| shoulder shrugging | jumping | |
| facial grimacing | touching | |
| repeated coughing | stamping | |
| sniffing an object | ||
| echokinesis, i.e., imitation of someone else's movements | ||
| Vocal tics | throat clearing | repeating words or phrases out of context |
| grunting | coprolalia, i.e., use of socially unacceptable words, usually obscene | |
| sniffing | palilalia, i.e., repeating one's own sounds or words | |
| snorting | echolalia, i.e., repeating the last word, sound, or phrase heard | |
| barking |
to simple noises. These may include the repetition of short phrases,. such as "Oh, boy," the repetition of a single word, repetition of the words of others, called echolalia, or involuntary swearing, known as coprolalia.
The health care professional will distinguish a tic disorder from other categories of involuntary movements, such as those that are related to other problems such as medical conditions, alcohol or drug abuse, side effects from medication, or other behavior or psychological disorders. When a tic disorder has been diagnosed, further definition of the nature and scope of the tic will be made. Factors such as age at onset and duration of the tic will be taken into account.
