Tic or OCD?

[Brenda]

Although this is the first time posting here, I have been reading this board since my daughter (7) was diagnosed with TS last year. My daughter has had many tics over the past year, the most frequent is the head shaking (like saying no) and now the eye rolling has come back as well.

 

Her tics remain mild but she started picking at her eye lashes - always saying she had a backwards eyelash. I didn't think much of this because she has very long lashes and wears glasses but the other week I noticed that she no longer has upper eye lashes and has gone to picking at her eyebrows. Is this a tic or OCD?

 

The neurologist at the time of diagnosis, said that OCD often accompanied TS, but I always thought OCD was having to do something a certain number of times?

 

My daughter has started Bonnie's vitamins, and we just finished two weeks of no milk or caffeine. She did really well, and her tics settled down alot over the trial period. Going back to drinking milk again after the two week trial, her tics have again started to be more frequent, she even commented on having more tics since drinking milk again.

 

Thank you for your input, I have learned so much from this forum and have so much to learn. You are an incredible group of people!

 

Brenda

[Chemar]

Hi Brenda

 

what you are describing (pulling out hair) is known as Trichotillomania, and it is very much a recognised symptom of OCD.

 

OCD is waaaaaaay more than just doing something a certain number of times and is a very complex disorder, mainly caused by a deficiancy in seratonin, amongst other things.

 

Here is some helpful info on OCD from Leslie packer's excellent TS website

http://www.tourettesyndrome.net/ocd.htm

 

People with TS often exhibit some OCD behaviour that is unique to this subtype where tics and OCD symptoms sometimes interact so that it is often hard to determine whether one is dealing with a tic or an OCD.

 

I have lots of info on OCD if you need more.

[kim]

Brenda,

 

Here is a link that another poster here provided that is from Dr. Walsh at the Pfeiffer Institute. I found this material to be very informative. It mentions what Chemar posted in her response, Trichotillomania.

 

http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/articles/walshQZ.htm

 

You may have to click on the PAGES section at the bottom of the page to find the right one. I found all of the pages really useful in becomming fimiliar with the things talked about here often.

 

Kim

[Brenda]

Chemar, Kim

 

Thanks very much for your responses on OCD, I guess I was so concerned with looking for and identifying tics, I completely overlooked any signs of OCD.

 

I will definitely look up the sites you mentioned to learn more on OCD.

 

This is probably a very elementary question, but could you tell me if OCD waxes and wanes the way tics do?

 

Thanks again.

 

Brenda

[KJS]

Hi Brenda,

I'm glad you asked your questions about OCD. I, too, fear that I might have overlooked OCD symptoms because my focus has been on the tics. I'm not sure whether or not this would cause me to do anything different, but it's interesting to know.

 

Welcome to this forum and good luck!

Karen

[Chemar]

Brenda, yes we certainly found the OCD going thru waxing and waning phases. I dont know if this is just the subtype that is comorbid with TS or all OCD. Once my son's seratonin levels were stable, the wax-wane stabilised too and the overall intensity decreased dramatically

 

I have raised this issue before and I know it sounds sci-fi ......

 

but many health care pros can also vouch that certain neurological and psychiatric etc symptoms DO seem to wax with the full moon.

 

We definitely noticed a correlation with my son's tics and also with the OCD.

 

I honestly dont know what the actual scientific basis is, but we kept a lunar calendar for many months and it was a clear and uncanny fact.

[KJS]

Cheri,

How amazing that there's a connection with the cycles of the moon! And how cool that you actually tracked this on a lunar calendar. You are really something...

 

Karen

[Chemar]

Hi Karen

yes, for my son there definitely was, and even tho it is now all so mild for him, yet the waxing of the moon still seems to be a trigger period for him

 

I am not trying to suggest that this is a finite thing for others or that there is any quotable scientific research to prove this...but I have heard and read that healthcare workers do note the correlation.

Theories that I have heard range from the lunar effect on body fluids in a similar way that it impacts the ocean tides, as well as electromagnetic impulses at full moon and a lot more.

 

However, nothing beyond speculation and anecdote at this point.

 

Once we had noted the intense waxing of his tics and OCD during a couple of full moons, I decided to keep the calendar, without telling him tho as I didnt want to have autosuggestion influencing anything.

The results from my records were enough to convince me that, at least for my son, there was a very real connection.

 

Now that he is so stabilised, we have discussed it and he is quite fascinated by it and aware of it too.

Strange but true............

[kim]

Brenda,

 

Just wondering if you are seeing any results with Bonnie's vitamins yet. Would love to hear an update!

 

Kim

 

We maybe at a disadvantage here, the moon has looked pretty full the last couple of nights! and I'm not making fun of that, it wouldn't surprise me a bit, although I don't think I'll share that suspicion with the boys Ped, I'm already on thin ice.

[Brenda]

Kim,

 

Sorry I haven't replied sooner, but I have been away for a few days.

 

I think that it is too soon to say whether the vitamins have been helping my daughter yet. When we first started them, she couldn't swallow pills, so we tried mixing the powder with a variety of foods. It took about a week of trying, but she finally mastered swallowing them and is always proud to tell me she did it in one try!

 

I do think that her OCD of picking her eyelashes and eyebrows has diminished, as they are now growing back, but I'm not sure if this is a result of the vitamins or waning of the OCD. Her tics are mild right now, her head shaking is gone, but I see that her left hand is moving and she still has some eye movements. It will be interesting to see how she does when this phase of the moon has passed!

 

Hopefully over the next few weeks of being home, with a regular diet, I will be able to watch more closely and see how she does on the vitamins.

 

Take care,

Brenda