Posted by noa on June 7, 2003, at 15:09:30
In reply to what causes intrinsic tics?, posted by bookgurl99 on June 7, 2003, at 11:17:54
Well, when your friend says that it's "nerves" she may be right in terms of using the word "nerves" but not in terms of what she probably meant by the word.
Tics are neurological phenomena, and considered a "movement disorder". Although it is possible for stress to exacerbate tics, nervous feelings or stress do not cause them.
If you only have the single tic of eye blinking, it is considered a simple tic. If you have a combination of motoric tics and at least one "vocal" tic, like throat clearing, sniffing, or vocalizing, etc., then it could fall in the category of Tourette Syndrome. We tend to think only of the more severe cases of Tourettes like those we have seen on TV, where the person has involuntary random vocalizations, including what is called "coprolalia", or blurting out expletives, etc. But in recent years, the diagnosis has broadened to include a lot of less obvious presentations. Often it is diagnosed in childhood.
I also understand that although people can sometimes suppress a tic for period of time, it is just delaying it, and it comes out eventually. It is really involuntary, even if the person can suppress it temporarily.
Here are some links to look at:
http://www.wemove.org/kidsmove/tic.html
http://pediatricneurology.com/tics.htm
http://members.tripod.com/~tourette13/handouts/symptoms-ts.html
poster:noa
thread:232148
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030604/msgs/232198.html