what is tics disorder

Tic disorder is a condition characterized by sudden, repetitive, and uncontrollable movements or sounds called tics. Tics can be either motor or vocal. Motor tics are movements of the body, such as blinking, shrugging the shoulders, or jerking an arm, while vocal tics are sounds that a person makes with his or her voice, such as humming, clearing the throat, or yelling out a word or phrase. Tics can be simple or complex, and they can occur in any body part. The most common tic disorder is provisional tic disorder, which may affect up to ten percent of children during the early school years. Provisional tics go away by themselves in less than a year. Persistent tics, which last one year or more, affect less than one percent of children and may be related to a more complex tic disorder called Tourettes disorder. Tourettes disorder is a condition of the nervous system that causes people to have both motor and vocal tics. To diagnose tic disorders, health professionals use the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5-TR) . Treatment for tic disorders may include medication to help control the symptoms and a type of behavioral therapy called habit reversal training.