Touching is a common motor tic. This can be touching almost anything, depending on the individual.
What they have in common is the process that causes tics to occur, if touching things is in fact related to a tic disorder.
This could manifest as:
- Touching anything when the urge arises
- Touching a specific item
- Touching items of a specific colour
- Touching a specific material
Possible Tourettic-OCD
Tourettic OCD describes tics that can have an obsessional quality, sometimes without a premonitory urge.
An example of this could be to touch an item until it ‘feels right’, or to touch objects to ‘reverse’ an unpleasant thought.
Sometimes a ‘phantom’ tic may be carried out. For example, an individual with OCD and a dislike of odd numbers may carry out a ‘phantom’ tic that is identical to the original tic, but only carried out to make the total number of tics an even number. The reasons for this can vary as much as tics do.
It is important to speak to a medical professional regarding these behaviours, to better understand the processes and what is causing them.
