Many people have heard of the disorders Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Tourette’s Syndrome. However, Tourettic OCD rarely gets recognized.
To better understand Tourettic OCD, you have to understand a bit about what OCD and Tourette’s Syndrome each entail.
OCD is a condition where people often struggle daily due to the constant anxiety of things going wrong if something is not done a particular way.
To help deal with their anxiety, many of those suffering from OCD perform repetitive physical behaviors or mental acts that help reduce stress, this behavior is called a ritual.
The severe anxiety can stem from negative thoughts of someone getting hurt or facing death if their ritual is not done in the right fashion. They may struggle to complete everyday tasks due to severe anxiety.
It’s not about being a ‘perfectionist,’ as many stereotype people with this medical condition.
These symptoms merely scratch the surface of what people with OCD have to go through every day.
Tourette’s Syndrome that causes repetitive motor and vocal tics that occur frequently.
Motor tics are sudden, involuntary physical movements such as head twitches, grimacing, or excessive eye blinking.
Echopraxia is a form of motor tics that causes involuntary movements copied from others. Palipraxia is the repetition of one’s own movements and gestures.
Vocal tics are sudden and involuntary spoken words and mimicry.
Echolalia and palilalia are fairly common among people with Tourette’s.
Echolalia, an attribute of Tourette’s Syndrome, involves the repetition of phrases or words of another individual. Palilalia causes an individual to repeat one’s own words, phrases, or syllables.
Coprolalia and Copropraxia areis what people associate with any form of Tourettes, however, they are both rare for someone to have, but often occurring together.
Coprolalia involves unexpectedly shouting out socially unacceptable words, phrases, or obscenities.
Copropraxia is the outburst of aggressive or obscene hand gestures or movements.
Suffering from both symptoms of Tourette’s and OCD makes it very difficult to manage daily tasks.
Tics affect people’s day-to-day lives. They make it hard to socialize and have normal conversations with others.
Much like Tourette’s Syndrome, Tourettic OCD tics are common, mostly triggered by the anxiety caused by OCD.
Tics can get set off in several different ways, such as witnessing someone else’s tic, experiencing anxiety and fear, or hearing a similar phrase to their vocal tic.
When Tourettic OCD tics get triggered, they tend to keep ticking until the tic feels ‘just right’.
A common thing that people forget about when it comes to tics, is that individuals who have them do not all share the same ones, as they are unique to eachthe person.
However, when exposed to another individual’s tic, whether it be motor or vocal, it can cause someone else with that condition to develop the same one.
Oftentimes people with tics get frustrated when they can’t finish a sentence due to being interrupted by their tics, especially when the person they are talking to isn’t patient and doesn’t take them seriously.
People need to take conditions like these more seriously and be mindful of being respectful and considerate.
It’s hard enough for individuals with this disorder to go through each day. Being patient and kind can help brighten any individual’s day, especially those struggling with Tourettic OCD.
