Tics
Overview
Tics are fast, repetitive muscle movements that result in sudden and difficult to control body jolts or sounds.
Causes
It's not clear what causes tics. They're thought to be due to changes in the parts of the brain that control movement. They can run in families, and there's likely to be a genetic cause in many cases. They also often happen alongside other conditions, such as: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) Tics can sometimes be triggered by taking illegal drugs, such as cocaine or amphetamines, and are occasionally caused by more serious health conditions such ascerebral palsyorHuntington's disease.
Treatment
Treatment is not always needed if a tic is mild and is not causing any other problems. Self-help tips, such as avoiding stress or tiredness, are often very helpful for the majority of people. If a tic is more severe and is affecting everyday activities, therapies that aim to reduce how often tics occur may be recommended. The main therapies for tics are: Habit reversal therapy – this aims to help you or your child learn intentional movements that "compete" with tics, so the tic cannot happen at the same timeComprehensive behavioural intervention for tics (CBiT) – a set of behavioural techniques to help learn skills to reduce ticsExposure with response prevention (ERP) – this aims to help you or your child get used to the unpleasant sensations that are often felt just before a tic, which can stop the tic occurring There are also medicines that can help reduce tics. These may be used alongside psychological therapies or after trying these therapies unsuccessfully. Read more abouthow tics are treated.
When to see a doctor
Tics are not usually serious and they do not damage the brain. You do not always need to see a GP if they're mild and not causing problems. Sometimes they can disappear as quickly as they appear. See a GP if you're concerned about your or your child's tics, you need support or advice, or the tics: occur very regularly, or become more frequent or severecause emotional or social problems, such as embarrassment, bullying or social isolationcause pain or discomfort (some tics can cause the person to accidentally hurt themselves)interfere with daily activities, school or workare accompanied by anger,depressionorself harm A GP should be able to diagnose a tic from a description of it and, if possible, seeing it. Recording a short video can be helpful, but be careful not to draw too much attention to the tic while filming as this can make it worse.