Socijalna psihijatrija, Vol. 54 No. 2, 2026.
Sažetak sa skupa
https://doi.org/10.24869/spsih.2026.332
Adult-Onset Tics as a Psychodynamic Mechanism
Gordana Filipović Bilić
; Klinički bolnički centar Osijek, Huttlerova 4, 31000 Osijek, Hrvatska
*
Filip Kralik
; Klinički bolnički centar Osijek, Huttlerova 4, 31000 Osijek, Hrvatska
* Dopisni autor.
Sažetak
Introduction: Tics are conventionally regarded as
neurobiological phenomena primarily associated
with childhood, but clinical practice regularly
reveals their presence in the adult population
as well, often outside formal diagnostic categories.
This paper explores the possibility that tics
in adults function as psychodynamic defense
mechanisms—organized responses of the psychic
system to inner conflict, affective flooding,
and traumatic elements that have not reached
the level of verbal symbolization. The paper is a
systematic theoretical review of psychoanalytic
and psychodynamic literature (Freud, Winnicott,
Bion, Mahler, Kernberg), along with an overview
of neurobiological theories on cortico-striato-
thalamo-cortical circuits and dopaminergic
mechanisms. The integrated model views tics as
a phenomenon at the intersection of neurobiological
vulnerability and psychic economy. Results
and discussion: In adults, tics may serve the function
of motor discharge of aggressive and anxious
drives, dissociative transfer into the body, compromise
satisfaction of repressed impulses, and
communication of nonverbalized distress. We distinguish five clinical types according to the dominant
psychodynamic mechanism. A therapeutic
approach that integrates psychoanalytic work on
symbolization, EMDR, and cognitive-behavioral
techniques appears to be clinically superior to a
purely pharmacotherapeutic approach. Conclusion:
A psychodynamic understanding of tics as
a defense mechanism changes the therapeutic
paradigm: the aim is not only elimination of the
symptom and repressed content, but also the use
of the symptom for psychodynamic understanding
and symbolization.
Ključne riječi
tics in adults; defense mechanisms; symbolization
Hrčak ID:
353020
URI
Datum izdavanja:
15.6.2026.
Posjeta: 0 *