What is the Difference Between OCD and Tourette’s

The key difference between OCD and Tourette’s is that OCD is a mental disorder characterized by patterns of unwanted thoughts and obsessions that lead people to perform repetitive behaviours while Tourette’s is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by repetitive movements or unwanted sounds (tics) that cannot be easily controlled.

OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) and Tourette’s are two disorders that share similar characteristics. Both disorders have urges, compulsions, and irrational behaviours. However, OCD is a mental or anxiety disorder, while Tourette’s is a neurodevelopmental (motor or tic) disorder.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is OCD
3. What is Tourette’s
4. Similarities – OCD and Tourette’s
5. OCD vs. Tourette’s in Tabular Form
6. Summary – OCD vs. Tourette’s

What is OCD?

OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) is a common, long-lasting mental disorder in which people have uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts or behaviours that they feel the urge to repeat over and over again. The classic symptoms of this condition may include intrusive thoughts, ruminating, excessive checking, cleaning, ordering and arranging, hoarding, counting, asking for reassurance, repeating words in the head, thoughts to counter the obsessive thoughts, and avoiding places and situations. OCD can occur due to different factors such as family history, differences in the brain, life events, and personality (neat, meticulous methodical people with high personal standards).

OCD can be diagnosed through medical history and physical symptoms evaluation (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-V). Furthermore, OCD is treated through psychotherapy (cognitive behavioural therapy or CBT), exposure and response prevention (ERP), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), mindfulness techniques such as meditation, medication (clomipramine), and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).

What is Tourette’s?

Tourette’s is a nervous system condition. Tourette triggers people to have tics (twitches, movements, or sounds that people repeatedly do). Therefore, people who have tics cannot stop themselves from doing certain things over and over again. The symptoms of this condition may include blinking, eye-rolling, grimacing, shrugging shoulders, head, or limb, jerking, jumping, twirling, touching objects and other people, grunting, throat clearing, whistling, coughing, swearing, stress, anxiety, and tiredness. An inherited genetic mutation causes Tourette’s.

Tourette’s can be diagnosed through medical history, physical examination, blood test, MRI, and genetic testing. Furthermore, treatment options for Tourette’s may include medications to block or lessen dopamine, botulinum (Botox) injections, ADHD medications, central adrenergic inhibitors, antidepressants, antiseizure medications, behavioural therapy, psychotherapy, and deep brain stimulation (DBS).

What are the Similarities Between OCD and Tourette’s?

• OCD and Tourette’s are two disorders that have similar characteristics.
• People who suffer from Tourette’s may also develop OCD.
• Both disorders have urges, compulsions, and irrational behaviours.
• Both disorders can be diagnosed through medical history and physical examination.
• They can be treated through specific medications and therapies.

What is the Difference Between OCD and Tourette’s?

OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) is a mental disorder characterized by patterns of unwanted thoughts and obsessions that lead people to perform repetitive behaviours, while Tourette’s is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by repetitive movements or unwanted sounds (tics) in people that cannot be easily controlled. Thus, this is the key difference between OCD and Tourette’s. Furthermore, OCD affects males and females equally, while Tourette’s affects 3 or 4 times more males than females.

The infographic below presents the differences between OCD and Tourette’s in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – OCD vs. Tourette’s

OCD and Tourette’s are two debilitating psychiatric conditions. Tourette’s can appear very similar to OCD. Both these disorders share similar characteristics. However, OCD is a mental health disorder, while Tourette’s is a neurodevelopmental disorder. Moreover, OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) triggers people to have obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours, whereas Tourette’s triggers people to have repetitive movements and tics that cannot be easily controlled. So, this summarizes the difference between OCD and Tourette’s.

Reference:

1. “Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).” Mayo Clinic, 11 Mar. 2020.
2. “What Is Tourette Syndrome?” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 31 May 2023.

Image Courtesy:

1. “OCD – Obsessive–compulsive disorder” By Scientific Animation (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Tourette2” By Paul Legendre – (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia