Tics are repeated tightening of muscle group which are rapid and, purposeless. There are movement and production of sound in tics. There could also be complex behaviour in the person. Most Tics are not serious and there is no need of treatment.
Boys are found to have tics three times more than that of girls, though the exact cause of it is not known. Tics are not done voluntarily. People with tics are not able to consciously control the tics. They find a strong urge to move their body parts which is linked to stress. People try to check their tics for sometime, but this raises their tension till they escape the tic. Tics increase when the person is under stress, tired or in high energy emotions. This emotion is generally negative like anxiety, but there could be positive emotion as well like excitement or anticipation.
In Motor tics there are movement of the face muscles, head and neck. These involve blinking, facial twitching, shoulders shrugging, lip smacking, grimacing and facial twitching. In vocal tics, the person coughs grunts and clears the throat loudly. The intensity at which the tic is performed varies. Sometimes, it could be forceful, that seems to be frightening and troubling.
There are three types of tics. These are Transient tic disorders, Chronic tic disorders and Tourette's syndrome.
One out of four children will have Transient tic in their school days. This tic happens in one muscle group and they last for not more than few months. There could be a series of different tics of this type over many years.
These tics remain for a long time with little change in their character. Sometimes, one might have many tics and are said to have chronic multiple tics. These type of persons do not require treatment, but they are disruptive as the person thinks that other person are finding them strange.
Tourette's syndrome includes Chronic tic disorders. This neurological disorder results in multiple motor and vocal tics. The tics are striking and their nature change frequently. This syndrome starts early in childhood and changes its intensity as one grow older. The cause of the syndrome is not clear but genetics is thought to be one of the main parts. It could be that one particular gene is susceptible to external factors and results in the condition.
The symptoms of Transient motor tics may be blinking, snapping the fingers, wrinkling the nose, squinting or jerking the head. There could also be transient vocal tics like gurgling or humming. There could be more weird behaviour like touching objects or licking. These types of tics are more prominent as the child gets excited or tired. But they are harmless and do not need any treatment. As the child sleeps, the symptoms disappear.
Tourette's syndrome is debilitating as the person has uncontrolled use of obscene language along with repetition of words as he or she hears from others. These people have different psychological problems like obsessive-compulsive disorder, self-harm behaviour and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
The primary treatment for disruptive tics is Psychological support and counseling of the person. There may be need for cognitive behavioral therapy to people for controlling their condition. Medication seems to be the effective means of treating tics. But the powerful drugs that are prescribed have some unpleasant side effects. Around 70 percent of people with Tourette's syndrome have used medication. But, if possible, they prefer to correct without medication.
Parents should not panic if they find their children developing tics. Most of the tics are mild and go away. The tics do not meddle with daily life or school. If someone is taking stimulant drugs, they may find having tics but these go away as the drug is stopped. Stress has been found to aggravate the situation of tic and make one’s life miserable. Hence it is necessary to relax and use biofeedback techniques to free one of tics.