Nervous tics correspond to motor or vocal action performed repeatedly and involuntarily, such as blinking your eyes several times, moving your head or sniffing your nose, for example. Tics usually appear in childhood and usually disappear without any treatment during adolescence or early adulthood.
Tics are not serious and, in most cases, do not hinder daily activities. However, when tics are more complex and happen more frequently, it is important to consult a neurologist or psychiatrist to make the diagnosis, as it may be Tourette's Syndrome. Learn how to identify and treat Tourette's Syndrome.
Why it happens
The causes of nervous tics are not yet well established, but they usually happen as a consequence of excessive and frequent tiredness, stress and anxiety disorder. However, people who are under constant stress or feel anxious most of the time will not necessarily experience tics.
Some people believe that the occurrence of tics is related to the failure in one of the brain circuits due to genetic alterations, which causes a greater production of dopamine, stimulating involuntary muscle contractions.
Main symptoms
Nerve tics correspond to involuntary muscle contractions, most common in the face and neck, which can result in:
- Eyes blinking repeatedly; Move your head, like tilting it back and forth or sideways; Bite your lips or move your mouth; Move your nose; Shrug your shoulders; Grimaces.
In addition to motor tics, there may also be tics related to the emission of sounds, which can be considered tic to cough, clicking the tongue and sniffing the nose, for example.
Tics are usually mild and are not limiting, but there is still a lot of prejudice and unpleasant comments related to people with nervous tics, which can result in isolation, decreased affective circle, unwillingness to leave the house or perform activities that were previously pleasant and even depression.
Tourette's syndrome
Nervous tics do not always represent Tourette's Syndrome. Usually this syndrome is characterized by more frequent and complex tics that can compromise the person's quality of life, because in addition to common tics, such as blinking eyes, for example, there are also punches, kicks, tinnitus, noisy breathing and hitting the chest, for example, all movements being performed involuntarily.
Many people with the syndrome develop impulsive, aggressive and self-destructive behaviors, and children often have learning difficulties.
A child with Tourette's syndrome may repeatedly move his head from side to side, blink his eyes, open his mouth and extend his neck. The person can speak obscenities for no apparent reason, often in the middle of a conversation. They can also repeat words immediately after hearing them, called echolalia.
The characteristic tics of this syndrome appear between the ages of 7 and 11, and it is important that the diagnosis happens as soon as possible so that the treatment can be started and the child does not feel so many consequences of this syndrome in his daily life.
Early diagnosis can help parents understand that behaviors are not voluntary or malicious and that they are not controlled with punishment.
How is the treatment of nervous tic done
Nervous tics usually disappear during adolescence or early adulthood, with no treatment needed. However, it is recommended that the person undergo psychotherapy in order to identify the factor that stimulates the appearance of tics and thus facilitate their disappearance.
In some cases, it may be recommended by the psychiatrist to use some medications, such as neuromodulators, benzodiazepines or application of botulinum toxin, for example, depending on the severity of the tics.
