Is this a tic?

[peglem]

Do any of your kids have tics where they hurt themselves? The last week, Allie has been banging her elbows into her hips- both are severely bruised. I was watching and she starts doing this before she gets upset...so I'm thinking the upset is caused because it hurts and she can't stop...then goes into a panic.

Another similar one, but worse is when she knees herself in the forehead. Tics? or does she actually have a compulsion to self injure?

[Mary M]

Peglem,

 

My daughter does not seem to hurt herself (her violence is typically directed at my husband and myself) and anything we may have considered a tic does not seem to injure her, however, she does pull out her hair and that would seem to be a painful, self injurious event but defined along the ocd spectrum rather than on the tic side. I can't help but consider that all of these things are inter-related making it so hard to tweeze out one from another.

[MomWithOCDSon]

My son will bang his head with both fists, one on either side, when he gets exceptionally stressed. I see it as a compulsion, not a tic, because he does seem to be able to control it if I call his attention to it.

[7upMom]

One of my son's tics was a movement of on tiptoes with toes bent under and bending them back with his weight repeatedly. He said it hurt and it looked painful, but holding it in would only last a short time and make it worse.

[melanie]

Hi Peg

 

I dont know if its a tic or if shes frusterated? Is she on a new med? I know when danny was taking topamax he hit his head.He said he couldnt get the words to come out of his brain. Ive started back at accupunture and Im glad I did Have you trief that yet??

 

Melanie

[Fixit]

At this onset ds tic was...walk 3 steps, jump in air, both feet hit his behind( like an ice tea commercial)...we had to carry him..he was exhausted...he said it felt like socks were in his legs and they were slipping down and needed to jump to get them back in place..

we were on our first ever trip to disney...immagine carrying your 9 yr old around....

well he showers on his own...but when we got home, he showeres in our room so i clean one less bath....he got underdressed as i walked by and his behind was completely purple!!!!!!!!!! after i picked my jaw up...i ran to get my hubby and started bawling.......

 

how many times and how high and how much energy does it take to do that

 

ps....he does have a 1 arm bandit pull, that slams his arm/elbow down to his side,hip also...that same arm will sometimes just flap....

Edited June 2, 2010 by Fixit

[Chemar]

my son had TS tics that were self injurious and some were tourettic OCD

 

we found this stabilized once his serotonin levels were corrected (we use supplements for this but I should note that when he was put on Luvox (an SSRI drug) initially it actually made the self injurious tics worse!)

Edited June 2, 2010 by Chemar

[7upMom]

ps....he does have a 1 arm bandit pull, that slams his arm/elbow down to his side,hip also...that same arm will sometimes just flap....

 

This sounds like one of the most done and longest sticking around tics my son has also