How are tics classified?

By severity: Tics are classified as developmental, simple, complex, mixed or debilitating. This is based on the clinical symptoms such as how many motor groups are involved, whether vocalizations are present, frequency, intensity of tics, how much they prevent normal activities, and the cause.

Complex issue: Most benign are nervous habits. Twitching nose, clicking nails, sniffing, clearing throat, all can be benign habits. If these accumulate and disrupt normal function, they are no longer benign. Vocal tics are most problematic due to being disruptive to others. Major motor tics include jerks of head and neck and face. These may also involve arms and feet or even total body.