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Think Tourette’s is just about the tics you can see and hear? Think again.
In fact there is so much more to Tourette’s than just the motor and vocal tics. This blog is about something that so often comes with Tourette’s but isn’t really known about.
Today is about mental tics. These are tics which you don’t see or hear, they are in my head.
You may think they are the same as obsessions in OCD, but for me I can differentiate between my OCD obsessions and mental tics.
For more information about OCD see my blog post about it here
So mental tics are tics which happen in my head.
It is like a vocal tic that hasn’t been vocalised, so on repeat in my head can be such odd and random phases. These are very varied in their content (same as my vocal tics) and also change content, which is the same as tics in general.
A mental tic is definitely a different type of tic to motor and vocal tics, so even if a vocal tic is the same as a mental tic it doesn’t mean they’re the same as vocal tics. I definitely feel they’re very different and a separate type of tic.
I do though get scared if a mental tic starts that it might become a vocal tic, as tics have a random way of catching from other areas of life, including my own head. Although I want to point out that mental tics, like vocal and motor tics are definitely not my own thoughts, or what I think or believe.
I know that my mental tics are different from my OCD because there isn’t an added anxiety of having to do a compulsion to stop the mental tics, or they are not like a compulsion because I don’t have to vocalise the tic to reduce anxiety or intrusive thoughts. Whereas with OCD there is severe anxiety about bad and scary things happening if I don’t do a compulsion.
Essentially though there is a running soundtrack in my head of tics and you never know. So even if you think you can’t see or hear tics it doesn’t mean there aren’t any tics, because my head is constantly full of them.
Remember Tourette’s is far much more than the tics you can see and hear.
The Tudors make me tic 
interesting, I hadn’t thought about that.
Magician
Thanks.
Hi Oliver… You are very brave to share all of this during the A to Z Challenge My son has Tourette’s, OCD, and Asperger’s. I am going to encourage him to read your posts. Problem is, he doesn’t like to read because his mental tics make it difficult for him.
Thanks Claire.
I hope your son can get a chance to read some things, whether my blog or other things.
Often knowing you are not alone can help.