Question about tics
Question:
Hi Jon! Thanks for replying. yes, the blinking only occurs while I am counting or repeating words in my head. You described me perfectly! I’ve been doing this off and on my whole life. (I’m thirty). I also tap my feet, shrug my shoulder, flex various muscles, etc to the thoughts in my head. And I do them to cancel out the bad thoughts. I have been reading more about OCD and behavior therapy, and of course tics were mentioned a few times, so when I got to thinking about all the stuff I do I wondered if it was tics or not. Usually when I do them it is conscious, too. I guess that pretty much answers my questions, then- it’s plain ole OCD. =) Thanks alot for your answer. Feel free to email me if you need to ask anything specific. Take care! -Kathryn in Georgia
Response:
Hello everyone. For the last couple of days, I have developed a new compulsion- blinking my eyes while I mentally think my obsessions. (words and numbers). I have done this off and on since I was a child. My question is this: is this compulsion a ‘tic’? -Kathryn in Georgia — =^..^=
Response:
>For the last couple of days, I have developed a new >compulsion- blinking my eyes while I mentally think my obsessions. (words >and numbers). I have done this off and on since I was a child. My question >is this: is this compulsion a ‘tic’?
Hi- Does your blinking occur only when you are thinking certain numbers or words? Do you think, say, "5", then blink? Many in the OCD workshop I attend describe a similar problem, not only blinking, but foot tapping, throat clearing, etc. When they’re having a mental compulsion, for example, they feel they must cancel out a "bad" thought with a "good" one, and often find that various "tic" like behaviors help carry this out. Whether it’s totally unconscious or not, it makes them feel better. For example, they may "blink" as soon as they think a "good" thought. In doing so, the "blinking": 1) gives them the added sensory input they need to remind themselves that the "good" thought actually happened. 2) adds an illusion of power, or force, to the "good" thought;.. only when they blink do they feel that the thought really counts. 3) It relieves general anxiety/doubt. They don’t know why they blink, but know they feel better once they do…. what happens if they *resist* is NOT the uncontrollable PHYSICAL urge to blink, but a feeling of mild discomfort, anxiety and/or panic. This is the mechanism of OCD. However, TICS, when resisted, result in an uncontrollable, involuntary physical urge {escalating bodily tension not to be confused with anxiety} that increases the longer the tic is not performed; sometimes this sensation can be described as a balloon getting ready to burst. Many sufferers of Tourette Syndrome (TS) describe this feeling. Compulsions on the other hand, when resisted, result in anxiety, which can range from mild {slight sweating, mild mental discomfort (feeling of "can’t let go") } –> to severe: pounding heart, hyperventilating, panic. Your ‘blinking’ sounds more like a compulsion than a tic. Since you do it when you think your obsessions, you’re implying that you don’t do them at any other time. Is that true? = -jon I’m a freshman in college and studying obsessive compulsive and related disorders. I do not have ocd myself but desire to learn more. I hope to be an ocd therapist someday, and chatting with people who have it will help me understand better.
