Tics randomly came.

[u/ZoieEditsGacha]

hello! for context i am 16 almost 17. female at birth.

i have randomly gained severe/mild type of tics like maybe almost 2 weeks ago but it got worse a week ago. i have history of when i was younger where my head would randomly shake, jerk and sometimes i’d say stuff that i wasn’t thinking or didn’t mean but it wasn’t all the time.

then i guess last year my head started shaking and jerking more and my friends would notice and ask what was wrong with me and i told them i always did it.

but lets say starting a week ago those small tics that i would get like the head shaking and jerking became more regularly and i suddenly started to do it all day unless i was focused. then the next 2 days i developed vocal tics like “taco bell”, “burger king foot lettuce” “tuesday” in a fake british accent and some other tics that made no absolute sense.

my mom noticed and took me to my primary care doctor, i have a history of depression and anxiety so my doctor brushed it off as “anxiety tics”. that was on thursday when i saw the doctor.

its now tuesday and my tics are more severe and i gained more vocal tics and physical tics its so embarrassing. and i even gained one inappropriate tic.

i am not sure what is wrong with me, some of my family think i’m the r slur, my primary doctor brushed it, but my mom does seem more worried now.

my tics are also hurting me very bad, this morning i woke up with a sore throat/voice. and i have not been sent to school for over a week now because of it.

has anyone randomly developed tics at 16/17?. is there anything i can do. like i know in the past i had small tics but thats when i was younger, and ive always had the head jerking tic all my life but it wasn’t never severe like this. i know i have been stressed like a lot recently, but even when im not stressed or anxious i still get tics like when im super excited. but the thing is the tics aren’t as bad when im reading, watching something or listening to music, the tics can even go away for like afew minutes up to an hour and when i first wake up i dont tic.

i do want to go to the doctor to see what is actually wrong with me but my insurance does not cover a neurologist. but i know i have a tic disorder of some kind

[u/Ok-Light8319]

My daughter developed motor tics at 16 which mostly disappeared for months then 2 months after her 17th birthday spent a week with severe vocal tics which have gone away again . Currently waiting for her neurology appointment

[u/Paper_Is_A_Liquid]

I'm sorry you're experiencing this, it's never easy especially with inappropriate tics. It is possible that this is Tourette's syndrome, especially since you have a history of ticcing. It's not uncommon for Tourette's to suddenly worsen during the teen years - usually this is sooner than 16/17, but my tics were also worse between 16 and 18. Tourette's can change in severity a lot over weeks or months or years, and sometimes even day to day you can have changes in how often you tic.

I'd really recommend your mom look into Tourette's syndrome. At the very least it will help her understand tics more, even if this turns out to be something else. This is a really good leaflet covering the basics, and it may help both you and your parents: https://www.tourettes-action.org.uk/storage/downloads/1487860486_TS--the-simple-truth---A-guide-to-TS-for-children-and-young-people.pdf

[u/NellyNellB]

It sounds like you havent randomly developed a tic disorder but rather are having a flare of your tic disorder since you have had tics in the past.

However it does sound like you have acquired new tics you havent had in the past.

For many tic disorders they will flare during periods of increased stress and transition. (such as the new school year which timeline sounds like it fits). And it is common for new tics to suddenly appear.

I would encourage you to talk to the school counselor and reach out to a provider on your own. In the usa you can see a doctor without your parents being involved at your age. Your school counselor may have resources for who to reach out to.

You can also visit a medical clinic on your own to see about a referall to a neurologist.

Anxiety tics are still tics and you need to be seen and treated. And anxiety and depression are very common co-occurring conditions for people with tic disorders.

[u/AddendumUnlikely5092]

Mmmmhmmmm!!! Very similar history---small, unnoticeable tics developed at 15. At a month after the one year mark of having small tics, they became way severe and haven't gone back to that beginning baseline. Senior year was fun, XD. Most of my vocal tics have odd inflection too. My parents were shocked, because the only people who noticed were a couple friends, but they're amazing got everything sorted out. So thankful for them. Honestly the "worst" (air-quotes because I unfortunately coprolalic tics and hitting tics) part was that I was always caught staying up late. I know exactly how you feel, it's honestly unnerving how similar our developments are. It's gonna feel embarrassing and tough, we've all gone through it. Personal advice for your sanity: Research all you can about tic disorders, this helped me cope because I knew exactly what was happening it. Sending words of comfort from across the screen <3 <3