What are Some Examples of Nervous Tics?
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Nervous tics are involuntary movements or twitches that most commonly occur in a person’s face, arms, or shoulders. The movements associated with nervous tics usually last for only a brief period of time and serve no purpose. Often, they are repetitive in nature. Typically, nervous tics involve twitching of the corner of the mouth, grimacing, twitching of the corner of the eye, blinking, or general repetitive movements with the arms, shoulders, or hands.
Some nervous tics are caused by brain damage or damage to the nervous system. Many nervous tics, however, are caused by underlying psychological reasons that remain largely unknown. Some nervous tics are associated with Tourettes syndrome, which causes the individual to tic repeatedly and to exhibit outbursts of profane language. Often, those who exhibit nervous tics do so after experiencing an extreme psychological problem or emotional trauma.
Children who develop nervous tics usually show signs of the disorder between the ages of five and ten. When nervous tics first appear, they can often be controlled, but they become automatic as the problem continues. As the child ages, nervous tics typically disappear. It is, however, possible for a nervous tic to persist into adulthood.
The decision whether or not to treat nervous tics largely depends on their underlying cause and whether or not they are interfering with the person’s life functions. If the underlying cause is a physical or mental health threat, then that cause must be addressed. Similarly, if the nervous tics are making it difficult for a person to socialize or otherwise live a normal, happy life, it may be necessary to develop a plan to control the problem.
Nervous tics that result from neurological problems can sometimes be controlled with muscle relaxants, tranquilizers, or medicines such as Clonidine. Those that are the result of emotional or psychological problems can sometimes be treated through psychotherapy. For those experiencing nervous tics because of Tourettes syndrome, medication can sometimes control the disorder. In some cases, the medications used to control nervous tics can be gradually tapered off when paired with behavioral therapy. If the nervous tics return, however, it may be necessary to increase the dosage once more.
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24
Yup I'm 30 and I've been dealing with the same thing as anony5249, anon19809 and anon20375 since i was about seven. Obviously something is wrong with our brains, the wiring is screwy.
My mom smoked and drank during her pregnancy. Maybe that's what it is. who knows? I'm thinking zoloft? - anon52139
23
My six year old daughter has started to shake her arms in an involuntary way every couple of minutes. she says that at school she keeps her hands under the desk so she will not be noticed. Will she grow out of it or should I seek treatment. - anon51566
22
A few years ago, my son developed a stutter. He managed to control this himself by 'clicking' his tongue every time he started to speak, and eventually the clicking went away too. Over the past few months, my son (now 11) has started to twitch his eyes quite incessantly. He winks, blinks or turns his head and his eyes in the opposite direction, as if he's trying to see behind his own eyes at the corner. I have been advised not to take him to the doctors as this will make it more of an issue, but I feel my son is fully aware of his eye twitching and needs professional advice. Can anyone help me? Do I play it down or seek further medical advice? - anon50916
21
I have had nervous tics since I was 14 years old. Eye squinting, brow movement, restless leg, noises, jaw, you name it.
I am 34 years old now and all my tics seem to happen in the right side of my body. I still do the eye squinting; I have involuntary arm movements, developed TMJ syndrome and have a bump inside my lip from endlessly biting myself all the time, and a bump in my right pinky finger because I keep rubbing it against the desk when I hold the computer mouse.
They are not *that* noticeable but they certainly make me uncomfortable. The more excited I am, the more tics I get. What causes this? I read somewhere that they could be treated with hypnosis. - anon46927
20
I am 36 years old. I am in the medical field and it is all i can do sometimes to not do a tic in public. my sons both have this. I will involuntarily twitch my fingers on my ears or my head or clear my throat. i squint my toes in my shoes and i open my eyes wide.
i am afraid that i will have to go on meds. My biggest fear is that i will do an obvious tic in front of my peers. Sometimes i am exhausted just trying not to tic in front of everybody. - anon44714
19
Another 40 year old here! What is it about that age?! Meh, anyway, I've had tics since I was a young kid; grimaces got replaced by "hmmm" noises and hmmm noises then got replaced by grimaces again :o/ It's also stronger when I need to use the bathroom, or have overeaten or wearing tight clothes; the tension makes it more pronounced.
It seems to be related to my upbringing (nothing was ever "good enough" for my parents - yeah I know, blame your parents, cliche' 101 ;o)) and my dad's idea of punishment whas threatening me with a rose branch (yes, complete with thorns). Abuse, essentially. Catch is, it's stil stuck in there. I'd love to find a way to get past it as it's really making me a tic-ing mess (arm flailing at the worse). Any suggestions? Please?! :o) - anon40854
18
I am wondering if my husband is having a nervous tic. He will say a something and then do a really loud sniff. It seems to be happening a lot more here lately. He is a very anxious and nervous person. - anon40167
17
I'd make a "hmm" noise as a kid and blink strongly, but it went away after a few months.
A couple of days ago (I'm 17 now) I started blinking strongly, compulsively. I hope this doesn't last long. Thankfully, at certain times it's almost as if I "forget" to do it - an hour or so each morning, generally. Good luck to anyone reading this who probably got here through Googling tics. - anon39278
16
Hi, I'm 16 and here lately I've noticed my head will jerk from the right to the left and my eyes will shut really hard or twitch. I've always been really nervous as a child but here lately I've been having a hard time sleeping and when I do sleep I have crazy dreams about bad things happening to my friends.. I'm starting to feel like I'm slipping into a state of depression.. Could the depression be what's causing my tics?... Also, some of my friends don't believe me when I tell them I have a tourette-like tic syndrome and they dont take it serious, they just laugh at it like its a joke.. Could this be what's furthering my depression?.. It's like a never ending cycle! My depression is caused by the tic, and the tic is caused by depression!! - anon36001
15
In my last post mistype not 55% residue with bells Palsey - nicho3185
14
I'm a male in late 70's. In the last few weeks have noticed when I'm lying down. Have a twitching in my left arm, and sometimes with my left upper lip. It goes away in a few seconds. Had Bells Palsey 20 years ago and have 5% residue on right side. Carotid surgery on right side, 3 stents in 07. Prior to that Appendectomy and tonsillectomy in 1951 and 1936. No other problems, BP etc.Any suggestions? - nicho3185
13
Hi, i'm 13 years old and i have anxiety, a little depression, and a social phobia. Every time i'm nervous i get the nervous tic right at the corner of my mouth and it's beyond noticeable and embarrassing. Also my blood pressure will shoot up and i always get this movement of my head going left from right. I'm always tapping my feet from anxiousness. I'm now on 40 MG of paxil but that doesn't work so, currently i'm going to try Zoloft. - anon30368
11
my 9 yr old son has tics now that i started looking into it. he has the eye movement, head movements, whistling noises while breathing, leg shaking, finger constantly wiping things...it won't stop...i have to remember he can't control and i cannot give in to being upset with him...but when do you think it will stop? or will it? - anon27239
10
my best friend has tourettes. i feel very bad for her. i pray for her i hope whomever has it that you will trust in God and He will make you better. i will not tell my name, but i am 11 years old and praying for everyone. - anon27167
9
i am suffering from schizophrenia n depression. i have developed, what i feel, are tics at the age of 21. where my joy is moving all over and clicking away to glory. my shoulders also keep jerking as if there trying to free them selves from something. these tics are very apparent to others. can u help me out? - anon26654
8
Hey, i have been suffering from what i think are nervous tics. My tics are mostly head movements not a lot, but i think they are noticeable. It seems like my neck is always very tense. Could you tell me if there is any medication or what all my conditions could mean? - fakhoury
7
I am 21. I have nervous tics, and have had them since I was 5 years old. I remember exactly when they began, but I don't really know what caused them. They decrease when I'm happier, and less stressed. If I'm very stressed, they can get really bad, especially if I'm concentrating on homework, or something difficult at work. However, I'm capable of controlling them because when I'm in front of other people I purposely don't allow myself to do them. When I think no one is watching, I give it to them. If I concentrate on it, I can stop myself from doing it completely, but that becomes exhausting. Even more exhausting than giving in to the tics. - bess5538
6
anon5249,reading your post was like a look into the future for me. you really seemed to say everything that I have to say. I don't want to call it tourette's because I don't think it's involuntary. I find my body urging me to do it, but my mind is aware that it's happening. I'm actually writing an essay about nervous tics right now. I'm 18 and i'm sure that I can beat these tics, but as you said, i keep putting it off because I don't feel like dealing with it. I'll claim that the time is not right due to location or amount of work or something like that, but i always end up even more frustrated for being weak and falling the temptation of the tics. - anon20375
5
I am nearly 40 and have had pretty much exactly the ticks you describe above 5249. Blinking mostly, but any repetitive muscle flex in the face, neck, and shoulders provides that relief and satisfaction, followed immediately by guilt or frustration for giving in to the temptation. I have tried Clonidine and it has worked, but it gives me dry mouth and minor headaches. The ticks come and go, some months worse than others. When they get bad, I use Clonidine for a few days or weeks. It does help, and just knowing that is a relief. The good part is when my ticks get bad at night, it's a way to sleep when I'm restless. I just refuse to give in no matter what for 100 seconds and that level of concentration puts me to sleep before I get to 100. Wish I had a better solution. I'm tempted to try hypnotism as it'd be nice to get rid of them, but it's only slightly socially awkward and doesn't affect my life otherwise negatively except when it's at its worst once a year, give or take, and then the Clonidine will soften everything without me even realizing it until a day goes by without the urges. Had ticks since very young, no obvious reason why, but my mother's dad had them severely his whole life. I may have emulated or it is genetic. Wish there was better help out here online or docs knew more. I've run across others who have similar tics - NBA coach Flip Saunders and NHL defenseman Derian Hatcher come to mind as famous people who made me feel better about observing with similar tics but otherwise very successful. - anon19809
4
Hi. My son is almost nine years old. He has experienced some form of tic or another during the past couple of years. Sometimes it is biting nails, vocal noises and jumping or leg movement... it is not very noticeable until he is either tired or over stimulated.... any similarities here? much appreciated... - anon14807
3
I have the same problem as whoknows. Had a nervous tic for years. Need a solution. - davidr
2
Hey, i have been suffering from what i think are nervous tics. I can't remember these happening until i was about 15 or 16 years old. My tics are mostly head movements not alot but i think they are noticeable. It seems like my neck is always very tense. Could you tell me if there is any medication or what all my conditions could be? - whoknows
1
Hi, I have been suffering from nervous tics since I was a child. They come and go. I had a rough childhood and that's when it started. Through my adult life I have suffered from stressful episodes and two times ended up seeing a psychiatrist for stress disorders. Anyway, my stressful periods have diminished somewhat, but I still don't tend to cope well with day to day issues and snap easily. Daily I tend to latch onto a twitch of some sort and feel comfort in repeating the movement. It may be a head nod, an eye squint, an eye opener, a neck twist at an angle that makes a cracking noise, or a severe neck twist, a wrist twist to crack a bone, a jaw crunch, a head wobble, a type of snort of air combination through my nostrils and throat, sometimes I clench my fists really tight before I comment on something stressful. Other times I may start making a difficult noise and then start repeating it. I know I am doing it, and when I focus on what I am doing I can stop the behaviour. But, eventually I will end up doing it again. It happens more and more when I am stressed. When I am alone I tend to really twitch intentionally but in public I tend to just head nod or squint or sometimes hand clench. I make a conscious decision to stop doing it, but put it off because I don't want to deal with it. I have noticed other people during my life in the office environment who have a peculiar twitch of some sort that they repeat. Mine, though I tend to swap and change. Right now I am consciously not twitching but have an urge to do one of them. It gives me a relief feeling. When I don't do it I have an urge but over time it dissipates. I am nearly 40 yrs old and sick of it. What is wrong with me? - anon5249
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Last Modified: 11 November 2009
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