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Question 79: I am a 14 year-old boy who lives in north
west New Jersey. Ever since I was 7 I've had mild tics. They annoyed
me but nothing more. But the last month or so the tics have become
increasingly worse. Everybody notices....The thing is, I don't have
T.S. I have been tested at least 5 times and all came out negative.
I am a freshman in a public high school and am in 4 out of 4 advanced
placement classes. My question is, if I don't have TS, what do I have,
what's wrong with me, and how can I stop. M.S.S., NY, USA.
Hi M.S.S.:
While
I can't tell you over email what's "wrong" with you as I would
need to meet you to do so, there are different levels of TS, and different
kinds of tic disorders. Since you've had tics for years, you may have
what is called "Chronic Tic Disorder", for example. This is
where you don't have a LOT of tics like you do in TS, and you only ever
do movements or only ever make noises (never both like in TS). If, as
you say, the tics have gotten worse lately you may yet end up being
diagnosed with TS instead -- yours might just be coming out a little
later than it does in others. This might be because you are under more
stress these days than you used to be (for example, you just started
high school this year in all advanced classes -- the increased work
or bigger school might be part of it. Or maybe something around your
house has changed, or you've just started a job -- any of those things
could affect your tics).
The bottom
line is this, M.S.S.: whether it is TS, chronic tic disorder, or whatever,
the same sorts of strategies, techniques, and medications work for all
types of tics. Any of the writings or T(r)IC(k)S on my site about dealing
with TS, dealing with teasers, telling people about your TS, etc. would
all still be useful for you to read and try. In general, I can suggest
that less stress, less concentration on the tics, getting less worked
up about the tics, getting enough sleep, and activities that require
a lot of energy and attention can all help to decrease tics.
