Tic Disorders

Risk Factors

Temperamental

• Tics are worsened by anxiety, excitement, and exhaustion and are better during calm, focused activities.

• Stressful/exciting events (e.g., taking a test, participating in exciting activities) often make tics worse.

Environmental

Observing a gesture or sound in another person may result in an individual with a tic disorder making a similar gesture or sound, which may be incorrectly perceived by others as purposeful.

Genetic and physiological

• Genetic and environmental factors influence tic symptom expression and severity.

• Important risk alleles for Tourette's disorder and rare genetic variants in families with tic disorders have been identified.

• Obstetrical complications, older paternal age, lower birth weight, and maternal smoking during pregnancy are associated with worse tic severity.