Developed a tic a year ago and no idea why, can't stand it anymore. Please help.
So I have ADHD and Generalized Anxiety Disorder, about 1 to 2 years ago when I was 20 I developed this vocal tic. Don't feel like I had a tic before this but because of how much I fidget it may have gone unnoticed. Its like a mix of growling, grunting, exhaling and scratching the back of my throat in one action, dont really know how else to describe it its weird. I also sometimes click with my tongue and throat, sometimes I do both sometimes only one or the other. After awhile my throat starts to get sore and really dry. At times I do this constantly like nonstop for hours, I've tried my best but I just can't stop. When I force myself to stop I feel so incredibly uncomfortable until I give in and start doing it again. It gets alot worse when Im stressed or anxious, though it often just happens out of no where as well. It's been getting worse ever since I started doing it and at this point it's often a daily thing. It's really embarrassing, I know everyone around me can hear me doing it and some people have told me they find it really annoying. The best I can do is try to be quieter around other people but it's still noticeable.
Over the past like six months or so I've also started like cracking/jerking my neck to the left side, I don't know if this is a tic but it seems to be happening alot. Again I try to stop and it actually hurts after awhile but I just can't. It comes and goes for both of these, sometimes I'll go a day or two and not do them. Other times I'll do it quite often. I seem to do both at the same time as eachother. Definitely not as bad as the verbal tic though, I know people have noticed but no ones said anything. I also have a tendency to compulsively grind/rub my teeth together, again no idea if this is a tic, I actually don't know when I started doing this but this one seems to happen more infrequently at least lately.
I'm just at my wits end at this point, I just wish so much that I can stop. It's driving me crazy, I hate doing this. I thought for awhile it was apart of my ADHD since I fidget pretty incessantly because of that. But it doesn't feel the same, when I'm fidgeting it actually calms me down and I don't even realize I'm doing it. But this tic I'm constantly aware of and self conscious about, and it stresses me out and I find it distressing. It's even started to impact my ability to sleep.
I hoped it would just go away eventually but it didn't. I'm here looking for advice for what I should do? I don't really know if this is Tourettes or a tic disorder or something else I have causing this. This is the first time I'm reaching out for help in any way, been embarrassed to talk about it up until now. I know the answer is to probably see a professional about this, Don't even know what sort of professional though. Just feeling kind of helpless and alone right now and need help and advice.
Posted Jan 4, 2023, 6:23 PM UTC · edited