Nervous habit

A nontechnical term for a minor repetitive movement or activity. Sometimes a nervous habit consists of involuntary twitches and facial tics, such as in Gilles de la Tourette’s syndrome and some forms of dyskinesia. Voluntary nervous habits, such as nail-biting and thumb-sucking, are common in young children. All nervous habits increase during periods of tension or anxiety, and may be severe in some forms of depression, anxiety disorder, or drug withdrawal.

 

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