Clinical conditions that could be mistaken for tics and vice versa
| Tic phenomena | Differential diagnoses |
|---|---|
| Eye rolling | Absences |
| Blinking | Allergy, poor vision |
| Focussing on tic control | Attention problems |
| ‘Excessive’ tics | Imitation/somatisation |
| Tripping | Medication-induced akathisia, juvenile parkinsonism |
| Neck jerking | Dystonia, medication-induced dyskinesia |
| Convulsive grimacing | Facial spasms or blepharospasms |
| Sniffing | Allergy, hay fever, cold |
| Scratching | Scabies, lice, allergies |
| Tics during sleep | Restless leg syndrome/benign epilepsy of childhood with centro-temporal spikes/parasomnias, sleep myoclonus |