OCD and Tic Disorder: Insight from SBFC Youth Advisory Member Rhys Moon
/My name is Rhys Moon, and I am a Youth Advisory Board Member at South Bay Families Connected. Having dealt with tic disorders and OCD for nearly my entire life, I know the challenges, both visible and invisible, that mental health can incur, and I am thrilled to share my insight in the hopes that it can de-stigmatize mental health issues. First off, for insight from myself and other Youth Advisory members on some of the common mental health challenges teens are facing today, please check out the video below. If you are experiencing similar struggles, know you are not alone. If those struggles include OCD or tic disorder, please continue reading to access coping strategies and learn about common misconceptions about tics and OCD.
Living with motor function disorders is difficult. Lacking physical autonomy, daily tasks are difficult, and frustration abounds. Thus, learning what you can do mentally and physically to help yourself manage symptoms and feel more at ease is essential.
1) Figure out what makes you tic. For some, it's stress. For others, it's sugary foods. Each person deals with tics differently, and identifying possible sources of enhanced stress on your mental condition is crucial to start your healthier lifestyle. A good rule of thumb to begin searching for tic "triggers" is to start altering your habits one by one. It doesn't have to be as drastic as transforming your entire diet, but it should be simple and most importantly, manageable. Strategies are useless if they are unsustainable and transitory. Things I've tried are:
1) Cutting processed sugar intake
2) Adherence to a regular sleep schedule of seven to eight hours
3) Regular exercise
4) Healthy levels of screen time on mobile devices
2) Be patient. If you're here, you must be aware that tics are not consistent. They are a different beast for every individual, which is why patience is key. There is no panacea or foolproof "cure" for any mental illness. But frustration will only exacerbate your stress and anguish, which can be detrimental to your health, both physical and mental. I'm not telling you to maintain a perfect, positive outlook on life; in fact, it's perfectly normal to occasionally feel hopeless and depressed, but don't let those emotions stop you from being who you are and doing what you need to do. There will be therapy sessions you attend, medications you take, or online remedies you find that might not work how you would have liked. Regardless, continuing to try different, healthy coping strategies is important to pinpoint the things that work, or don't work.
3) Step back. It's cliché, but take deep breaths. Sometimes, you need to simply stop whatever you are doing: class assignments, paperwork, physical activities, etc. to relax and put things in perspective. Take just ten seconds to inhale and exhale deeply. Do a butterfly scan. If you've been working at your desk all day, step outside. Enjoy the fresh air. Not only will it give your aching muscles a break, but it will give you an opportunity to clear your mind and filter out the negative thoughts.
4) Rethink your priorities. Let it guide you to discover what is really important in your life.
Consider the following:
"Is what I am doing right now going to sacrifice my mental health in any way? If so, is this task absolutely necessary, or must I stop what I'm doing and breathe?"
It's crucial to learn how to prioritize your health before all other things. As a busy high school student involved in several extra-curricular activities, this is something with which I've struggled deeply. I would put off my mental health until I reached a breaking point, often experiencing new, heightened symptoms that would last for weeks. I learned the hard way that you cannot take a last minute approach to your health. It should always be your first and foremost priority.
When you feel a relapse of severity coming your way, that is your body telling you that something needs to change. I can't emphasize enough that you can't expect to overcome your condition if you leave it on the back-burner. For many others and myself, it is often unchecked stress and anxiety that causes new symptoms to arise. Regardless, you absolutely need to discover what is triggering your condition. Remember that tics and OCD crave attention. They will find any way to manifest in the most untimely situations, and preventive measures are key to cope in the long run.
Hopefully, these 4 tips can help you get on track to coping with your illness. Stay positive and hopeful throughout; by being here, you have already taken huge strides and important steps towards health and happiness. Please stay tuned for more posts where I will outline more specific techniques and strategies I have employed!
5 Common Misconceptions About Tics and OCD
With mainstream media's atrocious coverage of mental illness and movement disorders, it is no surprise that there are countless misconceptions that have permeated common belief. It is of paramount importance to correct and dispel these beliefs in order to put forth an accurate representation of what mental illness and how it manifests in extremely unique and individualized manners. In this post, I will examine some of the more common misconceptions surrounding OCD and Tic Disorders (TS/PTD) and how they are inaccurately deployed to undermine others' experiences.
1) "I mean, I barely even notice your tics. Aren't you exaggerating?"
In reality, many kids with Tics and OCD drain their energy during the school day, suppressing their tics and trying to ignore their compulsions; this can cause extremely uncomfortable tension in the muscles and alarming anxiety that can lead to extreme "tic explosions" or heightened compulsive behaviors at home. In addition, research heavily indicates that those with Tic Disorders experience the bulk of their symptoms in early adolescence (9-11 years old), and from the age of 13-14, the severity of their condition significantly decreases. Many, myself included, have even noticed a periodic absence of symptoms during the latter half of puberty or the disappearance of tics writ large. It might be that your friend struggled with it before you met. Or maybe they just recently worked with a neurologist to manage the physical symptoms. Nonetheless, the fact that you never "noticed" or "saw" your friend/peer tic does NOT mean you can assume they never experienced symptoms in the past; for many, the decrease of visible symptoms is something with which they've struggled and worked hard to achieve, and to make belittling comments is discouraging and disparaging to those seeking positive change in their lives.
For example, I had days in middle school where my neck tics caused inflammation so bad that I had to visit a chiropractor. Other days, my tics seemed to fade away and were the least of my worries. The waxing and waning of tics is something confusing and bewildering for many of us, and the last thing people who suffer(ed) with Tic Disorders need to hear is, "You have tics/TS, huh? How come I don't see them?" Something to think about is that you would never doubt anyone telling you that they have arthritis, for example. You would never ask them, "Well, how come I've never seen you in pain?" The same level of understanding should apply to mental illnesses.
2) "Wait, why don't you curse?"
This is perhaps the most frequent comment I've received. By now, you should understand that tics can manifest in a variety of ways. Just because you saw a Youtube video titled, "Tourette's Syndrome," and everyone blurted out obscenities in public, that does not mean everyone with Tourette's/Tics experiences the same slew of struggles. There are both motor and vocal tics, complex and simple. In fact, cursing tics are a rare facet of TS called coprolalia. When you do meet someone with coprolalia, it is absolutely imperative that you do not belittle or mock them in any shape or form. I'm sure you can imagine the suffering they have already endured; don't make it worse.
3) "Germaphobe" = OCD
This is a popular misunderstanding. An inclination to keep things clean and tidy does not mean you have OCD, nor does having OCD mean that you are obsessed with cleanliness. It is definitely the case that OCD patients can have obsessions such as an extreme fear of germs and contamination, or compulsions such as repeatedly washing hands or scrubbing. However, this representation fails to encapsulate the wide spectrum of the disorder. Symptoms manifest in a plethora of ways, and many of them are completely unrelated with hygiene.
4) "Wait, you have OCD? Why didn't I ever notice!"
Although there are times when OCD behavior is clearly noticeable, many OCD patients have learned to suppress their symptoms and manage them on a regular basis. Treatments like CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) and ERP (Exposure Response Prevention) have proven effective for many, but a decrease in perceived symptoms does NOT indicate that one has been "cured" of their illness. OCD is chronic for many, meaning that over time, symptoms can morph in both frequency and form. This can cause obsessions and compulsions to either become more or less eye-catching, depending on the scenario. Moreover, it is possible that these obsessions (the "O" in OCD) are rampant in the mind in the form of thoughts, fears, and anxiety. Since symptoms can appear differently for each person, you must refrain from openly vocalizing your doubts. "I can't see it" is NOT a justified reason to deny the lived experiences of someone with mental illnesses, and these remarks only exacerbate the already pervasive stigma surrounding these disorders. Instead, when someone opens up to you about something vulnerable like this, you should be empathetic and appreciate their honesty.
5) "C'mon, it's just a habit, right? I mean, just try to stop it, and calm down."
Dr. Ralph Ryback, Harvard professor and author of The Truisms of Wellness, articulates it best: "OCD isn’t a personality quirk—it’s a disease. If curing a chronic illness was as simple as just 'calming down,' no one in the world would be sick." This misguided thinking applies similarly to Tic Disorders, where many think one can simply "stop." In reality, mental illnesses like Tourette's and OCD involve neurological incapacitations with regards to neurotransmitters and brain regions such as the Basal ganglia.
I hope this blog cleared up some questions you had about Tic Disorders and OCD. For more mental health topics and blogs, please visit mindfulcoping.net, a mental health awareness platform I founded dedicated to de-stigmatizing mental illness through education and political advocacy. You can also follow my Instagram account, @mindfulcoping, to view my personal mental health projects.
By, Rhys Moon
Rhys Moon, 17, is a mental health advocate from Rolling Hills, California. Rhys founded Mindful Coping, dedicated to destigmatizing mental illness and providing resources for teens like him with Tourette Syndrome and OCD. A Youth Ambassador for the Tourette Association of America and a Youth Advisor for South Bay Families Connected, Rhys is committed to both national and grassroots activism regarding mental health awareness and support. Support his work at mindfulcoping.net and follow @mindfulcoping on Instagram.