Stim or tic?

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So I haven't been getting much sleep lately, and my problems have been worse because of that.

Usually I have this really strong urge when I'm out and about to randomly touch things, people, just give them little taps, and the feeling is so strong I have to clamp my hands behind my back to prevent myself from doing it. Today it's been worse than usual. I've resorted to gnawing on myself and other socially inappropriate behaviors, because I'm afraid if I don't I'll do something bad.

I've also been having this weird full-body shudder every couple of minutes, and it's like something I half control, half don't control (it's pressing on my brain and I have to do it and it feels good when I finally do.)

I was wondering, are the shudders and sudden powerful urges to tap and touch things tics or stims?

The body shudder sounds more like a tic to me, in that you have the sense of needing to do it, and experience a feeling of relief when you do.

The touching thing sounds like some kind of compulsive behavior, rather than a stim or a tic. Do you have OCD?

This is all just my opinion of course, based on personal experience with tics, stims, and compulsions. It will be interesting to see what others think.

They used to think I had OCD; in fact, that and depression were my first formal diagnoses, though I think they abandoned the OCD idea when the AS came to light. (Which is silly, since they can obviously coexist.) I can see how the touching thing would be that sort of compulsion. Thanks so much for your input : )

Tapping and touching are not uncommon tics in Tourette Syndrome.

What distinguishes tics from stims for me is that tics are a nuisance and are undesirable, whereas stims feel good.

moving my feet up and down very fast when im sitting down
when i whas young i twisted my hands very fast

I have to agree, and thats funny i didnt know touching and tapping are tics lol, wow u learn something everyday lol.

They can be. I don't have those tics but I've heard of other Touretters who do.

I have a habit of triple clutching when driving... I just tap the clutch three times before actually using it. (Not actual triple clutching, but damned close)
When I use my computer, my "trigger" finger would usually let me do a double click. That's useless when I activate "Sense accidental double-click in Windows"

I'm so used to non injection cars that once I floored the throttle wide open and I noticed I was mimicking the rev limiter. (kicks in at 6,000 when I had it at 4,750)

The body shudder is a tic, cause I get that as well and I have to argue myself down not to do it.

Body shudder is a tic? I never knew that! Just thought it was related to something giving me a chill. I don't do this often but once in a while it does happen. Always called it a "heebie jeebie." LOL

If it's just an involuntary shiver, then it's not a tic (sometimes people will say "Someone just walked over my grave"). It's a tic if you feel compelled to do it (i.e. voluntary but irresistible). With tics, you feel uncomfortable until you perform the tic. Tics also tend to be very repetitive (i.e. not just once in a while, but many times a day).

Tics are distinguished not by what the action actually is, but by your reason for doing it, and how it makes you feel. An example is an eye-blinking tic. There are many reasons you blink your eyes- regular blinking to moisturize your eye, the sun is bright, you have something in your eye, etc. Eye-blinking tics are distinct from all these reasons.

Thanks for the clarification, Lost in Space! I always wondered what the difference was.

I don't know what to call my personal version of the body shudder, but I can describe it: it's unexpected, unannounced, involuntary, and very visible. Sometimes it happens in the most inconvenient situations. For example, I was talking to a friend about his musical tastes, and in the middle of the conversation my body shuddered. He thought I was reacting with disgust and I had to make up an explanation about how cold it was.

I think that sounds like a typical body shudder- when someone has one out of nowhere (unrelated to temperature), and says "Someone must have just walked over my grave." I get those, too.

Does Tourette's run in families? My little brother (also AS) was dx'd with it for a while.