Tics can sometimes be overlooked by families. However, it is important to remember that tic disorders can negatively affect children’s social, psychological and even learning skills. Tics are involuntary, sudden, repetitive and It occurs as a result of non-rhythmic contractions. Although tics are generally seen between the ages of 7-12, they are present in earlier-onset or late-onset samples.
tics It can be seen as motor and vocal tics. Motor tics can be seen alone, vocal tics alone or both.
Motor Tics: They range from simple to complex, such as blinking, neck stretching, mouth opening, finger snapping, belly pulling, leg-arm flexing.
Vocal tics: It is seen from simple to complex as throat clearing, making meaningless sounds, coughing without psychogenic cough, hiccuping, swearing in coprolalia style.
Simple transient tics: These are tics with one or more motor or vocal tics, lasting a minimum of 4 weeks and a maximum of one year, decreasing or increasing from time to time.
Chronic tics: It is a condition in which there is one or more motor and vocal tics, and vocal and motor tics are seen together from time to time. The tics continue for more than 1 year. And it should be known that the period without tics is not more than 3 months.
Tourette Syndrome: It is a chronic disorder in which vocal and motor tics are seen together and the variety of tics is high. In this disorder, tics may increase or decrease from time to time.
CAUSES OF TIKS:
Environmental and stress factors generally play a role in simple transient tics. Reasons such as sudden fears, losses, learning by imitation, rigid family attitudes, and punishments can be counted.
However, in chronic, that is, long-term motor tics, and in Tourette Syndrome, in which motor and vocal tics appear together, genetic inheritance, that is, having a family history of tic disorder, there may be disorders in the brain, especially in the basal ganglia, and studies in which it may be caused by problems related to the release of dopamine and serotonin in the brain. shown with.
Neurological evaluation and medical evaluation may be appropriate in tic disorders that start suddenly and no cause can be found. At the same time, anxiety disorders, speech problems, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and obsessive disorder symptoms should be reviewed in tic disorders.
TREATMENT:
As with every psychiatric problem related to the child, in the treatment, first of all, the family is told that the situation is a disorder, the child is not under their control, and even if it is controlled for a while with warnings from time to time, it will cause more stress and the tics will increase. It should also be noted that when the child focuses on a certain thing, tics such as watching TV, playing on the computer, etc. may increase. It should be explained to the family that stimulating and rigid attitudes will not work.
It is useful to work on the family’s calm and supportive behavior in treatment, and to work with the child on the ability to control the situation with techniques such as relaxation exercises and transforming behavior. Tic disorders can cause problems in school, social life and family. And this situation causes serious anxiety in the child. It can cause insecurity, mood changes. And if it is not possible to control with methods, drug therapy can be evaluated.
