Hi all! I know Reddit is no place to self-diagnose myself with anything, but I would appreciate some help to distinguish whether or not I have Tourette’s.

So, I’m 19(F) and I’ve always had anxiety/panic disorder. I’ve been taking meds for my mental health for a while now (Zoloft) and my anxiety has subsided greatly. 

But, a couple years ago, I started to notice some uncontrollable tics whenever I had a panic attack. I would scratch and hit my chest and head, scape at my arms, pull out my hair, and twitch. I assumed it was all part of the panic attack but I started doing those things (to a lesser degree) even when I felt only a bit anxious. 

Now, and for the past year or so, I experience physical and verbal tics even when I’m not anxious. I make a clicking sound (kinda like when you’re calling over a cat), I’ll hum, I’ll “shhh”, squeak, and if I’m anxious I’ll say words like “no” or “yes, sir”, as weird as that is. My casual physical tics are tapping my head, chest, or anything near me, twitching my head, or jerking my arm.

These tics don’t happen constantly, they’re usually only noticeable when I’m even a bit anxious, which is why I wonder if those are just products of other mental illnesses or if it truly is Tourette’s? 

Also, my ex (whom I dated for 4 years until a couple years ago) had Tourette’s and often ticced around me. Could I have picked up his behaviors and developed Tourette’s that way?

Any advice or info is appreciated! 


TDLR: Showing signs of Tourette’s but wondering if the tics are a product of other mental illnesses.