I've developed a motor tic

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It's just started this month and I've never had a tic like this before. I don't think I've ever had any sort of tic before but I'm not sure. Anyway, it's a head jerking tic. It sometimes occurs when I'm inside my home but it mostly occurs when I'm outdoors. I either jerk my head to the right or I shake my head as if I were indicating a no answer, though it's much quicker and more subtle.

I'm very confused about why this has started happening. I think I've been feeling more depressed this month than previous (recent) months but I've been dealing with depression for almost a decade and have never had this jerking occur. If someone is walking by me and/or looking at me I'll feel it coming on and I really have to fight hard to stop it and sometimes I can't. It doesn't only occur when someone is nearby though, I'll continue doing it if I'm on the sidewalk all alone. It's kind of embarrassing. I don't need something else to embarrass me or make me look even more crazy than I already am.

What's going on? Is this normal? Do any of you experience any kind of motor tic(s)?

I have a head twitch. It doesn't happen very often anymore (mostly when I'm stressed or need a haircut - longer hair doesn't jive well with sensory sensitivities), but when I was younger (childhood to college-aged), I would do it a lot. It doesn't seem to have done any harm (other than irritating my father), but it usually happened because of stress. Perhaps you can just look around until no one's watching you and then twitch away?

When I was in my early teens I developed something similar. I used to crack my neck a lot by turning/tilting my head. That turned into a nervous behavior where I would tilt my head to the left a few times repetitively. It would just happen without me thinking about it. My mother was the one that pointed this out. When she showed me what I was doing, I was embarrassed. Through conscious effort I was able to stop it. I don't know if this was a real tic or not.

You mention depression. Are you taking meds for that? Some meds can cause tics as a side effect and if you keep taking that med sometimes the tic can become permanent. If you're taking meds and suspect them don't just quit, call your Dr and ask them about switching etc. They can tell you if that med could be causing it and how to gradually wean off of it and or begin another med.

I also have a head tic. Mine looks like a quick nod, and it's off-and-on. It started about 2 1/2 years ago and lasted for months, and then it just went away. It comes back from time to time but doesn't last more than few days. I've got it right now. I'm not sure what triggers it but I think it has something to do with anxiety/depression.

I have tics in my arms and neck. But then I've been on antipsychotics for the past 5 years so its probably that.