Tic Disorders

Tics are sudden twitches, movements, or sounds that people do repeatedly. People who have tics cannot stop their body from doing these things. For example, a person with a motor tic might keep blinking over and over again. Or, a person with a vocal tic might make a grunting sound unwillingly.

Three tic disorders are included in the DSM-5:

• Tourette’s disorder (also called Tourette Syndrome [TS])
• Persistent (also called chronic) motor or vocal tic disorder
• Provisional tic disorder

People with TS have both motor and vocal tics and have had tic symptoms for at least one year. People with persistent motor or vocal tic disorders have either motor or vocal tics, and have had tic symptoms for at least one year. People with provisional tic disorders can have motor or vocal tics, or both, but have had their symptoms less than one year.