Clinical differences of tic disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorders
| Tics | Obsessive-compulsive disorder |
|---|---|
| Sudden, short (jerking) | Ritualised |
| Fragmented movements | Goal-directed behaviour (to reduce distress and/or prevent a feared event) |
| Sensorimotor urges | Thoughts/imaginations (obsessions) |
| Involuntary (clustered sequence) | Voluntary (cyclic) |
| Onset in primary school (one peak) | Onset pre-primary and post-primary school (two peaks). See figure 1 |
| Waxing and waning (from seconds to months) | Little changes over time |
| Can occur in sleep | Never during sleep |
| Comorbid with ADHD, OCD, depression | Comorbid with anxiety disorders, eating disorders, TS, depression |
ADHD, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; OCD, obsessive-compulsive disorder; TS, Tourette syndrome.