Extra-movements in healthy people - challenging the definition and diagnostic practice of tic disorders.

The occurrence of motor/vocal tics, i.e. "extra-movements" and/or "extra-vocalizations", is the leading diagnostic criterion for tic disorders. We show that extra-movements are common also in healthy controls, so that a surplus of movements per se is not indicative of the presence of a tic disorder. This questions the usefulness of DSM-5 criteria for tic disorders in clinical practice. Apparently, it is not solely a surplus of movements which defines tic disorders. Instead, movement characteristics and patterns seem to play a crucial role. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.