how do you know if it is a compulsion or a tick

[crillmom]

for a while now my son has been clenching his fists. I believe it started when his hands felt cramped from playing game boy and game cube. Now he seems to do it all the time. I asked him why he was doing it and he said he can't help it. He has never had any ticks or compulsions but he is diagnosed with ocd, (obsessional thoughts ) which has been under control for 2 years. My question is, what is this, a bad habit, a tick, a compulsion. How do you define the difference between all of these things? Am I making a big deal out of nothing which is just what my son said to me.

[swmom]

crill -

I'd be interested in knowing the same thing, i.e. is it a tic or a compulsion? My daughter has been licking her hands, especially when she's feeling anxious. She says it's because her hands are dry but they're not. The other thing she's been doing is banging her head on the pillow at night in sort of a rhythmic way to get herself to sleep. This has been going on since she was a toddler. She is 9 now. She was doing this the other day when she was sick with a stomach bug. I asked her why she was doing this and she said, "It helps me get rid of the sick feeling in my stomach." It seems more like a self-quieting behavior or just a bad habit, rather than a compulsion. But, like you, I'm wondering what's the difference and what can you do about it.

Glad you asked this question.

[Mayleng]

swmom, have you looked into Sensory Integration Dysfunction (SI or SID). It has the same type of behavior as ADHD but the cause is different. The good thing about SID is that it can be helped by Occupational Therapy. Read "The Out of Sync Child". It can also co-exist with ADHD. I have a feeling that quite a few kids who are dxed ADHD/OCD/ODD could have SI instead. This can only be dxed by an Occupational Therapist.
My son has ADD and a little bit of SI - his sensitive to hearing, smells and some texture.

[swmom]

Mayleng -

Do you know if meds can make a child more sensitive than usual to various stimuli such as light, or hearing or texture? Or, even new situations?

In the last 2 or 3 weeks, we've noticed that our daughter has become really fearful of new situations.
For example, at the first basketball practice of the season, she was so tense and so afraid, it was painful to watch. This was beyond the normal nervousness.
Then, as the practice began she started to cry, she was so uncomfortable. I asked her about it and she said she was just afraid she wouldn't be able to do what the other girls already seemed to know how to do. She was intimated because most of them had played before, which is understandable but she was just terrified.
In a couple of other situations, she just clung to me. It was almost like she was 1 again. This is unusual because for the longest time, people used to comment on how outgoing she is. Could it be that on the Strattera she's more aware of her emotions - fear, for example?

In about 2 weeks, we're going to do some more testing and I'm afraid that in addition to the ADHD, we might
have some other things going on. I have two things I'm really nervous about. One is a nonverbal learning disability and the other is a mental illness like schizophrenia or bipolar, both of which are in our family history. I am worried that all this anxiety we're seeing in her is part of one of those problems. I also worry that the Strattera is causing the premature onset of one of those. Is that possible?

You're probably thinking that no wonder the child is so anxious, look at her mother!!!

[Mayleng]

swmom, I don't know if Strattera can make a child more sensitive to all the outside stimuli or if Stratt could bring on the onset of all the other mental illness. I have not heard of any case that it did.

I would really advise you to read the book "the out of sync child" and see if it is SI, you might be surprised. If it is, that is good news, because it can be helped tremendously with OT. Non Verbal Learning Disability is not as bad as some people make it out to be. It can be helped by explaining everything to the child and teaching them social cues etc. It is not the mental illness it was once thought to be.

[swmom]

Thanks, Mayleng. I'll try to get that book. Right now, I'm reading The LCP Solution by Dr. Stordy and The Holistic Pediatrician by Dr. Kathi Kemper. Both are really good, fascinating. You know, I'm realizing that you have to check when the book was published before you take their recommendations seriously. I encountered this with The Holistic Pediatrcian. She says the omega 3 fatty acid supplementation won't do much for ADHD. But it was written in 1996. The LCP Solution, written just 2 years ago, speaks to the contrary in a big way.
Because there's been a good bit of research since 1996 on the impact of omega 3, I tend to the believe the latter. It's also interesting that one is a medical doctor, the other one is a PhD. It is encouraging knowing that there is so much research going on re: ADHD and related disorders. Some of the things they're discovering! For example, I believe it's Dr. Stoll from Harvard has discovered that bipolar can be very successfully treated with huge amounts of omega 3. This came from research based on why not many Asians have bipolar disorder. They eat tons of fish, all loaded with omega 3. Such interesting stuff.

[kelann]

wow...gotta say that i really am getting alot out of reading these posts. I am a 34 yr old female (read my first posting in a response to "strattera increase") and am getting major flashbacks to me as a child. I read this post because I do have a tic, or complusion and don't know the difference either. But i do know that it gets horrible with stress. Also, just having the tic adds stress and I still get in a cycle of the tics, which adds stress, which makes my tic worse.
My tic is that I shake my head very quickly. I have a hard time even typing this, as very few people catch me doing it, but it's not so much as self shaming as it makes me self consious. But when i was 5-6 I also had a tic/complusion that I don't even want to say what it is....but i out grew it and found the tic I have now....
So, will stattera help this?
I am just so amazed at the flashbacks i am having.

[NativeLI]

My son was diagnosed adhd/tourettes, which my neurologist said is a very common combination. However, I have decided that I am going to "ignore" the t/s...I am not treating his tics (or even worrying about them) now because they don't cause him any trouble.
I guess what I'm trying to say is don't worry about clenching the fists, or shaking the legs (which I did alot of growing up) unless and until it interfere's with your childs life. Most of us have idiosyncracies (my spelling can probably use some help!) but probably us parents of adhd kids worry about them more than other parents.

[Mayleng]

For the record, a tic is a manifestation of compulsions. Its different in appearance, but it all spawns from the same glitch in the brain. I don't know what determins how a compulsion is expressed, like a lot of this neurological business I don't think anyone really knows.

Whether it's Tourettes or another tic disorder, it is irrelevant. A tic is a tic is a tic. There is no great treatment. When a compulsion to tick is very strong, none of the meds work, and lets face it...thats when our kids need it most!

I found the soothing motion of a lava lamp can relieve/replce the urge (if the tic is a movement tic). Others have found swinging on a swing to be good at reducing tics. Daily exercise, the kind that breaks a sweat and raises heart rate is also good for tics. When tics are bad, I get off his case about things. More sleep also reduces the likelihood of a tic attack. Holidays are the worste time of year for ticcers. Adults as well. Its just something they have to get through.