Tics are involuntary, sudden movements or sounds. Usually, the movements are brief, but occur often. A person may be able to suppress tics for a brief period. Ticks are spontaneous and unpredictable. They are usually made worse by stress.

Symptoms of motor tics include:

• Shoulder shrug
• Eye blink
• Head twitch
• Facial grimace

Symptoms of complex motor tics include:

• Jumping
• Kicking
• Wiping the face
• Obscene gestures

Symptoms of common vocal tics include:

• Throat clearing
• Grunting
• Snorting
• Barking
• Squeaking

Symptoms of complex vocal tics include:

• Repetition of words or phrases
• Involuntary repetition of someone else's words
• Obscenities