Tics are a compulsive, repetitive sound or movement that’s often difficult to control.
They are caused by neurons firing at incorrect and inappropriate times. Often times, tics worsen with heightened emotions, lack of sleep, caffeine, etc.
Usually, they are onset in early years, generally about 5-7
There are motor tics, vocal/phonic tics, and tics of the mind/mental tics. These are then broken down further to simple vs. complex.
Simple Motor (very few muscle groups): head jerk, facial grimacing, eye rolling, clapping, finger flexing, muscle tightening, etc.
Complex Motor (many muscle groups): jumping, thrusting limbs, multiple tics in a sequence, bladder/bowel + stomach involved, etc.
Simple Vocal/Phonic: grunting, sniffing, coughing, snorting, squeaking, tongue clicking, etc.
Complex Vocal/Phonic: repeating others words, repeating own words, singing, immitating noises, change in voice/speech, etc.
Mental tics: intrusive thoughts, fears/phobias, obsessive thoughts, negative thinking, random phrases and words, etc.