what are tics

Tics are sudden, repetitive, and uncontrolled movements or sounds that involve discrete muscle groups. They can be either motor tics, which involve movements of the body, or vocal tics, which are sounds that a person makes with their voice. Tics can be simple or complex, and they often come and go, and can get worse when a person is stressed or anxious. Tics are often classified as unvoluntary movements, meaning that people are able to suppress the actions for a time, but the suppression results in discomfort that grows until it is relieved by performing the tic. Tics are most prevalent in children, and around 20% of school-age children experience tics. While tics are not usually serious and normally improve over time, they can be frustrating and interfere with everyday activities. If tics are bad enough to interfere with someones daily life, medicine may be prescribed.