Differentiating Tic Disorders

Differentiating Tic Disorders

Is it possible to differentiate Tourette tics from non-Tourette tics? Are all tics the same? What is a tic? What does a tic feel like? How does "ticcing" affect a person's sense of self or "I-Function"? Are Tic Disorders Inherited?

A tic is a repetitive, uncontrollable, purposeless contraction of an individual muscle or group of muscles, usually in the face, arms, or shoulders. These movements may be signs of a minor psychological disturbance. Such tics often occur in childhood and will probably be outgrown. There are also tics that are caused by neurological disorders that could have resulted from brain damage at birth, head trauma, or use of some specific medication (1). Tic disorders may be inherited. Genetic analysis of numerous pairs of siblings has shown several areas that may contain genes that, when mutated, may give rise, or increase susceptibility to, Tourette Syndrome. There is growing evidence that Tourette Syndrome is inherited from both parents (bilineal transmission), with the father typically affected by childhood tics and the mother typically having some symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (8). Tics can present as motor or vocal and are categorized as Simple or Complex (3) according to age of onset, duration and severity of symptoms (2). There are several different categories of tic disorders.

Transient tic disorders can begin during the early childhood years and can occur in up to 18% of all children. Simple transient motor tics can present in the form of eye blinking, nose scrunching, grimacing and squinting, and other forms (2). Simple transient vocal tics are less common and include sounds repeatedly made such as clearing the throat, coughing, grunting, hiccuping...

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...er that, he saw people with tic disorders everywhere he went. I know several people with tic behavior; I never had a name for the disorder.

References

WWW Sources

1) Tics and Twitches

http://www.healthmeds.com/healthcontent/AilmentsandDiseases/tics_and_twitches.htm

2) Tourette Syndrome and Other Tic Disorders

http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/2219/diag.html

3) Tourette Syndrome:Tics

http://members.tripod.com/~tourette13/handouts/symptoms-ts.html

4) Is it a tic or Tourette's?

http://www.postgradmed.com/issues/2000/10_00/evidente_tic.htm

5) Tourette's, Other Tic Disorders Far More Common Than Once Thought

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/11011101061136.htm

6) Definition and Classification of Tic Disorders

http://www.tsa-usa.org/wrapper.php3/01/definitions.html

7) We Move: Tourette Syndrome

http://www.wemove.org/ts/