The official line is that there are two types of tics; Motor tics and Vocal tics.
Motor tics are any involuntary, rapid, sudden movements. They come in both simple and complex form.
Usually they are worse in times of stress, when you are tired, or when bored or inactive.
Motor tics can be controlled for a period of time (they are usually the easiest to control) but must
then be released at a later stage, usually in a severe bout.
Motor tics are usually the first sign of Tourette syndrome. But you should be careful, just having motor tics does not mean you have Tourette’s. There are many other sources of tics. For example: a motor tic condition such as Chronic tic syndrome, a reaction to substances such as stimulants, Tardive Dyskinesia (usually caused by antipsychotic drugs), or a general medical condition like Huntington’s disease. Tetanus injections and allergies have also been known to give children simple motor tics.
Simple motor tics
are completely meaningless and are sometimes
mistaken for muscle spasms. They tend to involve only one muscle group per tic. They
include eye blinking, head swaying, foot tapping, shoulder shrugging and many thousands of
others. These tics can start very early in life – some babies have been observed performing
simple motor tics in the womb!
Complex motor tics
use more than one muscle group and often appear to have a
purpose. They can be quite similar to the compulsions of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, but are
triggered by the same sensory experiences as the simple tics. Like compulsions, they are
rituals that must be completed correctly. If you make a mistake, you have to start again.
Often I sit back and watch myself performing complex tics. I can know it’s a silly thing to do; yet I must complete it anyway. Sometimes, just by telling myself out loud “This is stupid!” I can shame my tics into stopping.
Two famous types of complex motor tics are echopraxia and copropraxia. Echopraxia is the imitation of a series of movements that have just been observed. Children with echopraxia, for example, have been known to leap to their feet during class to copy the movements made by the teacher. Copropraxia is performing obscene or forbidden gestures. In parts of America, it is now possible for people diagnosed with copropraxia to get specially tinted windows for their cars so other drivers won’t see them making rude gestures.
Palipraxia is not widely recognized though it should be technically possible as a tic. It would be the repetition of any movement or
behaviour you just performed. Though, arguably, that’s what most tics are anyway.
Vocal tics are any involuntary, rapid, sudden vocalizations. In simpler terms, vocal tics are any tics that involve the larynx, tongue, throat sinuses or mouth. They usually involve some sort of sound being produced, but
not always. Vocal tics seem to be most severe at the times when they are the most inappropriate or embarrassing.
Simple vocal tics
are described, the same way as simple motor tics, as “using only one muscle group” which doesn’t make much sense to me. I tend to think of simple tics as the monosyllabic ones. Examples are grunting, snorting, clicking, coughing and sniffing. They often just pop out, I’ll often find myself thinking “What was that noise?! Oh, it was me.”
Complex vocal tics
are those that are long and intricate. They can be things like barking, whistling, coprolalia, echolalia and palilalia.
Coprolalia, the most infamous tic is the speaking of socially unacceptable words or phrases (Racist comments, sexist remarks, obscene words, etc.) usually in the situation where it would cause the most damage. Echolalia is the repetition of words, phrases or sounds that have just been heard. Palilalia is the repetition of one’s own words or sounds.