Complex vocal tics what to do. What to do for parents with nervous tics in a child: causes, symptoms and treatment

Vocal tic in adults and children - neurological disorder, manifested in the form of involuntary sounds or involuntary pronunciation of words. This is one of the manifestations of a systemic neurosis. Vocal tics in children lead to a disruption in the learning process and are often a hindrance to socialization among peers. He is engaged in the treatment of this pathology.

Manifestations of vocal tics

Vocal tic in a child is a symptom of a complex neurotic disorder. Manifested in involuntary pronunciation of sounds, coughing, sniffing, sniffling. Often this disorder is combined with attention deficit disorder, other manifestations of neurosis. The child is able to control his behavior for a while, but this leads to increased stress. nervous system.

A vocal tic in a child, whose symptoms can vary, can manifest itself in the following:

1. Coprolalia: the child involuntarily utters obscene and abusive words.
2. Echolalia is the repetition of the same word.
3. Palilalia - unintelligible, confused, fast speech.
4. Unclear speech through the teeth in Tourette's syndrome (see).

Most often, vocal tics are observed in children of preschool or primary school age. However, they also occur in adolescents and even adults.

Usually their attacks are preceded by nervous strain or mental fatigue. Although sometimes all that is required to stop the tics is to distract the child with some kind of entertainment, game or task. The disorder can seriously harm relationships with classmates at school or peers in kindergarten.

Along with speech disorders, stuttering, restlessness in class, enuresis, attention deficit disorder, muscle twitching (fasciculations) are possible. The disease interferes with concentration on studies. Manifestations may include coughing, sniffing, checking voice. In addition, children can bite their nails and hair. Symptoms get worse, usually towards the end of the day.

The reasons

Vocal tics in adult children are associated with neurological pathology. The main causes of these disorders are:

1. neurotic states.
2. Traumatic brain injury.
3. Birth trauma.
4. Brain diseases (Tourette's syndrome, extrapyramidal disorders - hyperkinesis: chorea, athetosis).
5. Deficiency of vitamins and microelements along with the abuse of glutamate-containing drugs.

Traumatic brain and birth injuries can damage the centers of the brain associated with speech reproduction. Vocal tics may also be one of the symptoms. organic damage brain in extrapyramidal disorders, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis. Sometimes this is a manifestation of intoxication. In this case, the transmission of nerve impulses is disrupted and the cerebral cortex is overexcited.

Neuroses caused by unsettled environment at home or at school can also cause disorders of the nervous system, leading to vocal tics. Family scandals, bad relationships with classmates or classmates can provoke confused speech, pronunciation of unwanted sounds.

Often these disorders appear against the background of nervous exhaustion: neurasthenic disorders or psychological trauma. Sometimes the condition is preceded by the death of close relatives or the experience of severe stress: acute or chronic.

A disorder may occur with a deficiency of important trace elements, leading to damage to the nervous system. Deficiency of B vitamins, especially B6, B1, B12, magnesium, calcium and potassium contributes to the disruption of nerve impulses.

Diagnosis and treatment of vocal tics

If vocal tics are detected, a visit to a neurologist should be made. Instrumental examinations include MRI of the brain or ultrasound, electroencephalogram to exclude organic pathologies. When sniffing and correcting the voice, diseases of the ENT organs are excluded.

In neurotic conditions, it is necessary to build a daily regimen for patients in such a way as to ensure a good sleep. It is impossible to allow nervous overstrain, mental overload, thereby preventing vocal tics in children whose treatment is complex problem. It is also necessary to avoid foods that provoke overexcitation of the nervous system: chocolate, tea and coffee, cocoa.

With vocal tics in children, the study load is mitigated, stress factors are eliminated in the learning process, as much as possible. class teacher or teacher kindergarten must be warned of the seriousness nervous breakdown The child has. If possible, the student can be transferred to home schooling. If you have voice tics, you should take soothing baths with aromatic oils: lavender, coniferous. Adults are advised to take a vacation and relax in a sanatorium.

Medical therapy

Additionally, vitamins and minerals containing vitamins B1, B6, B12, as well as calcium, magnesium, and potassium are prescribed. They contribute to the improvement of the activity of the nervous system, the elimination of its overexcitation.

To calm excess activity, drugs such as Biotredin are used. They contain inhibitory mediators of the nervous system, reducing its overexcitation. Phenibut, Picamilon affect receptors for gamma-aminobutyric acid, which calms the psyche and improves falling asleep, normalizes sleep.

Body massage, acupuncture reduce stress and are carried out in the evening, preferably before bedtime. Physiotherapy in the daytime, it will help to throw out muffled emotions, thereby reducing stress.

Conclusion

Speech disorders can be corrected and go away by themselves with growing up, but in any case, psychological and medical assistance should be provided. How vocal tics appear in Tourette's syndrome, see the video.

Vocal tics in children are the involuntary pronunciation of various sounds, simple or complex in nature. Can provoke tics respiratory infections, after an illness with bronchitis, tonsillitis, rhinitis. Mental overload, head trauma - additional external factors leading to tics. It is important to exclude the possibility of concomitant diseases by contacting a psychotherapist and a neurologist for an accurate diagnosis.

The main causes of vocal tics in children are purely psychogenetic in nature:

• Heredity - the disease is more likely to occur in children whose parents are also prone to tics or "compulsive disorder." Symptoms may appear more early age than the parents.
• Restless environment (at home, at school, kindergarten) - conflicting parents, overwhelming demands, prohibitions, or complete absence control, lack of attention, mechanical attitude: wash, feed, sleep.
• Severe stress - the trigger for a tic can be fright, emotional trauma associated with abuse, news of the death of a relative.

Tics can also have physiological causes, such as serious illness, lack of magnesium in the body, disruption of the central nervous system as a result of:

• circulatory disorders of the brain;
• head injury;
• transferred meningitis;
• intracranial hypertension.

If children suffer from depression, then the risk of their tics is high.

Symptoms

Simple vocal tics include grunting, coughing, whistling, noisy breathing, grunting. The child makes lingering sounds “ay”, “ee”, “u-u”. Other sounds such as screeching or whistling are somewhat less common.

Symptoms manifest themselves singly, serially, are status. If the day has been emotional, the patient is overworked, and the symptoms are worse in the evening. Simple tics in ¼ of patients are manifested with motor tics in low and high tones:

• At low - the patient coughs, clears his throat, grunts, sniffs.
• At high - the sounds are already more definite, some vowels. High tones are combined with shudders.

Also, children are diagnosed with complex vocal tics, the symptoms of which are:

• pronunciation of words, including abusive ones - coprolalia;
• constant repetition of the word -;
• fast, uneven, illegible speech - palilalia;
• repetition of words, mumbling - Tourette's syndrome (watch the video).

Such manifestations cause a lot of problems, because children cannot attend school normally due to outbursts of an uncontrolled flow of abuse and other speech disorders.

Treatment

The treatment of vocal tics in a child is carried out on an outpatient basis so that hospitalization does not increase the anxiety that will aggravate the disease. The child should be observed by a pediatric neuropathologist. In 40% of children, tics disappear on their own, the rest have to be treated for a long time and painstakingly. Very effectively conducts conversations with a psychologist, which organizes therapy for the child and his parents. Understanding by parents the insurmountable nature of the disease will only hasten recovery.

Attempts to suppress the tics with willpower usually lead to an aggravation of the child's anxiety, causing a new, even more pronounced wave of symptoms. Therefore, to pull back, to remind him to restrain himself, and even more so to punish him, is cruel and unacceptable.

If the child's tics are caused by psychological reasons, it will be enough to normalize the family environment, create a benevolent, favorable atmosphere that will provide the most effective treatment.

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Remove excessive emotional stimuli from the child's environment. It doesn't matter if they are positive or negative - it's stress. Even an attempt to divert the child's attention from the problem by coaxing gifts, travel is a serious burden on the central nervous system. It is better to organize a sparing day regimen, a calm atmosphere in the house.

• Take note:

Analyze what is the "trigger" that provokes vocal tics in your child. Finding out the source of irritation, eliminate it.

Often the source is watching TV, especially if the lights are off. The flickering light on the TV screen changes the bioelectrical activity of the child's brain. Therefore, while the treatment lasts, "communication" with the TV and computer should be minimized.

To speed up the healing process, "forget" about the disease. Pay no attention to tics. If they are worried about the illness, explain that these troubles are temporary, they will soon pass. Children who suffer from tics become very vulnerable. They need to be helped to feel secure in order to be confident in their abilities.

Relieve tension with a relaxing massage, baths with pine extracts, essential oils, sea salt. Conduct physiotherapy and aromatherapy sessions for children.

• Actual information:

Medication treatment is the last option for solving the problem of hyperkinesis in children. It must be applied when the previous methods were powerless.

But deciding on treatment medicines, self-treatment is excluded. Even if they say that it helped someone with such a problem, this does not mean that it will help everyone.

In drug treatment, two groups of drugs are used: antidepressants (paxil) and antipsychotics or neuroleptics (tiapridal, teralen); they minimize the symptoms of motor phenomena - this is the basic treatment. But there may be more additional drugs. They are designed to improve metabolic processes in the brain, provide additionally necessary vitamins.

Complications

Tics are lightning-fast involuntary contractions of the muscles, most often of the face and limbs.

What are the most common tics?

Most often, blinking, raising the eyebrows, twitching the cheek or corner of the mouth, shrugging the shoulders, wincing, etc.

What are tics?

Vocal tics are repetitions of the same sounds. Coughing, "throat clearing", grunting, noisy breathing, sniffing are most often noted.

What can cause tics?

In most cases, the first appearance of tics is preceded by external adverse factors, such as starting school, uncontrolled TV viewing, prolonged computer work, family conflicts, separation from one of the parents, hospitalization and past illness.

Are tics the result of a brain disorder?

In children of preschool and primary school age, an active process of formation of connections and groupings of nerve cells in the brain begins. If this process is disturbed, interneuronal connections are not formed strong enough and can be destroyed. This leads to further imbalance and disruption of the normal maturation of the nervous system, which in turn can manifest itself in the form of tics, or other symptoms such as stuttering, enuresis,.

What does predisposition to tics mean?

Very often, parents or relatives of children with tics had similar manifestations in childhood, so it is believed that tics appear in children with a hereditary predisposition.

At what age do tics most often appear?

Doctors note age periods when tics appear most often. These are "crisis" periods of 3, 5-7 and 12-15 years. This is due to the fact that at this age there are so-called "jumps" in the development of the cerebral cortex.

In most patients, there is a daily and seasonal dependence of tics - they intensify in the evening and worsen in the autumn-winter period.

Is it true that tics get worse in the afternoon?

Tics weaken and even disappear completely during a game or an interesting task (reading an exciting story) that requires full concentration. As soon as the child loses interest in his activities, tics may reappear.

The method of deliberately delaying ticks for a certain period of time has become widespread. However, this method of dealing with tics through conscious volitional efforts (“stretching the will”) does not always bring the desired results, and sometimes it can even lead to their intensification.

Will tics go away as the child grows up?

At the age of 16-18 years, approximately 50% of patients are spontaneously free from tics. And by the age of 20, tics persist in only 10% of patients.

Is Tick Control Training Worth It?

It is known that tics increase significantly while watching television, especially in the case of changes in screen lighting and flickering frames. This is due to the fact that bright flickering light has the ability to change the bioelectrical activity of the brain. For this reason, television viewing by children with tics should be limited as much as possible or (better) prohibited for 1-1.5 months. Subsequently, when the corresponding prohibition is lifted, do not turn off the electric light while watching TV in order to avoid a sharp light contrast.

How do you know if a child is experiencing internal anxiety?

Children experiencing internal excitement often use gestures and facial expressions in communication. During thoughtfulness or embarrassment, they may have more frequent guttural coughing (grunting, sniffling), or movements such as sorting through the folds of clothing, winding hair around a finger. Signs of anxiety can also be teeth grinding during sleep, bedwetting, or nightmares.

What drugs are used for tics?

When ticks are prescribed. In difficult cases, doctors prescribe strong drugs such as antidepressants and anticonvulsants. Almost all of these drugs have a wide range of pronounced side effects and should be prescribed under the constant supervision of a physician.

Why do tics reappear after a short period of time after successful treatment?

As a rule, this is characteristic of the first tic attack, which responds well to treatment. However, with the resumption of tics, the so-called "transfusion" of tics is noted - he stopped coughing, but began to shrug his shoulders. This is due to the fact that sedatives (phytopreparations) eliminate only external manifestations in the form of increased arousal, but do not affect the basis of tics.

What is the basis of ticks?

Tics are based on an imbalance between the processes of inhibition and excitation in the central nervous system. The predominance of exciting influences in combination with provoking factors can lead to the appearance of tics.

Is there an effective and safe drug for the treatment of tics?

Yes, such a drug exists - it is Tenoten for children. Tenoten for children normalizes disturbed processes of inhibition and excitation in the brain and restores natural process maturation of the nervous system, which leads to a decrease, and in some cases a complete cessation of tics.

What is the treatment regimen for Tenoten for children?

Tenoten for children is used 1 tablet 3 times a day (in the morning and afternoon) for 2-6 months. If necessary, it is possible to repeat the course in 1-2 months.

What are the side effects of Tenoten for children?

Why does the treatment of tics take such a long time?

In order to cure a tick, it is necessary to help the child's nervous system to adapt and restore the normal pace of development, and it is necessary to do this smoothly, slowly, so as not to cause unnecessary harm to the fragile organism. Tenoten for children provides a gradual course of this process, carefully restoring the natural functions of nerve cells.

Nervous tic- a type of hyperkinesis ( violent movements), which is a short-term, stereotyped, normally coordinated, but inappropriately performed movement of a certain muscle group that occurs suddenly and repeats many times. A nervous tic is characterized as an irresistible desire to perform a certain action, and although the child is aware of the very existence of a tick, he is not able to prevent his appearance.

According to recent studies, up to 25% of children of primary school age suffer from a nervous tic, with boys getting sick three times more often than girls. Often this disease does not cause serious harm to the health of the child and disappears without a trace with age, so only 20% of children with a nervous tic seek a specialized medical care. However, in some cases, a nervous tic can have very pronounced manifestations, cause serious harm to the physical and psycho-emotional state of the child and manifest itself at an older age. In such cases, the help of a specialist doctor is necessary.

Nervous tics can be motor or vocal ( voice).

Motor tics are:

• blinking of the eye/eyes;
• frowning of the forehead;
• grimacing;
• wrinkling of the nose;
• lip biting;
• twitching of the head, arm, or leg.

• sniffing in the nose;
• coughing;
• snort;
• hiss.

• A nervous tic, unlike other types of obsessive movements, is either not recognized by the child, or is recognized as a physiological need.
• When tics appear, the child himself long time may not notice them, without experiencing any discomfort, and the concern of the parents becomes the reason for going to the doctor.
• A nervous tic can be suppressed by the child's will for a short time ( A couple of minutes). At the same time, nervous tension increases and soon the nervous tic resumes with greater force, new tics may appear.
• A tic can involve several muscle groups at once, giving it the appearance of a purposeful, coordinated movement.
• Nervous tic is manifested only in the state of wakefulness. In sleep, the child does not show any signs of illness.
• Nervous tics suffered such famous personalities as Mozart and Napoleon.

Innervation of the muscles of the face

Pyramidal and extrapyramidal systems

In addition to the precentral gyrus, motor zones are distinguished in other parts of the brain - in the cortex of the frontal lobe, in subcortical formations. The neurons of these zones are responsible for coordination of movements, stereotypical movements, maintenance muscle tone and are called the extrapyramidal system.

Each voluntary movement includes the contraction of some muscle groups and the simultaneous relaxation of others. However, a person does not think about which muscles need to be reduced and which to relax in order to make a certain movement - this happens automatically, thanks to the activity of the extrapyramidal system.

The pyramidal and extrapyramidal systems are inextricably linked with each other and with other areas of the brain. Research recent years it was found that the occurrence of nervous tics is associated with increased activity of the extrapyramidal system.

Nerves that innervate the muscles of the face

To each muscle there are motor nerve fibers from certain nerves. The muscles of the face receive motor innervation mainly from facial nerve (n. facialis) and also, in part, from trigeminal nerve (n. Trigeminus), which innervates the temporal and masticatory muscles.

The zone of innervation of the facial nerve includes:

• forehead muscles;
• circular muscle of the orbit;
• cheek muscles;
• nose muscles;
• lip muscles;
• circular muscle of the mouth;
• zygomatic muscles;
• subcutaneous muscle of the neck;

Synapse

The transmission of a nerve impulse occurs through certain chemical substances- mediators. The mediator that regulates the transmission of nerve impulses to skeletal muscles is acetylcholine. Standing out from the end nerve cell, acetylcholine interacts with certain sites ( receptors) on the muscle cell, causing the transmission of a nerve impulse to the muscle.

Muscle structure

In addition to myofibrils, muscle cells contain mitochondria, which are the source of ATP ( adenosine triphosphate) - the energy required for muscle contraction, the sarcoplasmic reticulum, which is a complex of tanks located in the immediate vicinity of the myofibrils, and depositing calcium necessary for muscle contraction. An important intracellular element is magnesium, which promotes the release of ATP energy and is involved in the process of muscle contraction.

The direct contractile apparatus of muscle fibers is the sarcomere - a complex consisting of contractile proteins - actin and myosin. These proteins are in the form of filaments arranged parallel to each other. The protein myosin has peculiar processes called myosin bridges. At rest, there is no direct contact between myosin and actin.

Muscle contraction

After the cessation of the flow of nerve impulses to the muscle cell, calcium from the cell is quickly transferred back to the sarcoplasmic cisterns. A decrease in intracellular calcium concentration leads to detachment of myosin bridges from actin filaments and their return to their original position - the muscle relaxes.

Causes of a nervous tic

• primary nervous tics;
• secondary nervous tics.

Primary nervous tics

Most often, the first manifestations of nervous tics occur in children aged 7 to 12 years, that is, during the period of psychomotor development, when the child's nervous system is most vulnerable to all kinds of psychological and emotional overload. The appearance of tics before the age of 5 years suggests that the tic is the result of some other disease.

The causes of primary nervous tics are:

• Psycho-emotional shock. Most common cause nervous tics in children. The occurrence of a tick can be provoked as an acute psycho-emotional trauma ( fear, quarrel with parents), and a long-term unfavorable psychological situation in the family ( lack of attention to the child, excessive demands and strictness in education).
• Teak first September. In about 10% of children, a nervous tic will debut in the first days of attending school. This is due to the new environment, new acquaintances, certain rules and restrictions, which is a strong emotional shock for the child.
• Eating disorder. A lack of calcium and magnesium in the body, which are involved in muscle contraction, can cause muscle spasms, including tics.
• Abuse of psychostimulants. Tea, coffee, all kinds of energy drinks activate the central nervous system, forcing it to work "for wear and tear." With the frequent use of such drinks, a process of nervous exhaustion occurs, which is manifested by increased irritability, emotional instability and, as a result, nervous tics.
• Overwork. Chronic lack of sleep, prolonged stay at the computer, reading books in poor lighting lead to an increase in the activity of various areas of the brain with the involvement of extrapyramidal systems and the development of nervous tics.
• hereditary predisposition. Recent studies indicate that tics are transmitted in an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance ( if one of the parents has a defective gene, then he will manifest this disease, and the probability of inheriting his child is 50%). The presence of a genetic predisposition does not necessarily lead to the development of the disease, but the chance of a nervous tic in such children is greater than in children without a genetic predisposition.

• local- one muscle/muscle group is involved, and this tick dominates throughout the entire period of the disease.
• multiple- manifests itself in several muscle groups at the same time.
• Generalized (Tourette syndrome) is a hereditary disease characterized by generalized motor tics of various muscle groups in combination with vocal tics.

• Transient- lasting from 2 weeks to 1 year, after which it passes without a trace. After a certain time, the tick may resume. Transient tics can be local or multiple, motor and vocal.
• Chronic- longer than 1 year. It can be either local or multiple. During the course of the disease, tics may disappear in some muscle groups and appear in others, but complete remission does not occur.

Secondary nervous tics

Factors contributing to the occurrence of nervous tics are:

• congenital diseases of the nervous system;
• traumatic brain injury, including congenital;
• encephalitis - an infectious and inflammatory disease of the brain;
• generalized infections - herpes virus, cytomegalovirus, streptococcus;
• intoxication carbon monoxide, opiates;
• brain tumors;
• some medications - antipsychotics, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, central nervous system stimulants ( caffeine);
• trigeminal neuralgia - hypersensitivity of the skin of the face, manifested by pain with any touch to facial area;
• hereditary diseases - Huntington's chorea, torsion dystonia.

Changes in the body of a child with a nervous tic

Brain
Under the influence of the factors listed above, the activity of the extrapyramidal system of the brain increases, which leads to excessive formation of nerve impulses.

Nerve fibers
Excessive nerve impulses are conducted along the motor nerves to the skeletal muscles. In the contact area nerve fibers with muscle cells, in the area of ​​synapses, there is an excessive release of the mediator acetylcholine, which causes contractions of the innervated muscles.

Muscle fibers
As mentioned earlier, muscle contraction requires calcium and energy. With a nervous tic, frequent contractions of certain muscles are repeated for several hours or throughout the day. Energy ( ATP), used by the muscle in the process of contraction, is consumed in large quantities, and its reserves do not always have time to recover. This can lead to muscle weakness and muscle pain.

With a lack of calcium, a certain number of myosin bridges cannot connect to actin filaments, which causes muscle weakness and can cause muscle spasm ( prolonged, involuntary, often painful muscle contraction).

The psycho-emotional state of the child
Constant nervous tics, manifested by winking, grimacing, sniffing and in other ways, attract the attention of others to the child. Naturally, this leaves a serious imprint on the emotional state of the child - he begins to feel his defect ( although before that, perhaps, did not attach any importance to it).

Some children, being in public places, for example, at school, try to suppress the manifestation of a nervous tic by force of will. This, as mentioned earlier, leads to an even greater increase in psycho-emotional stress, and as a result, the nervous tic becomes more pronounced, new tics may appear.

An interesting lesson creates an activity zone in the child's brain, which drowns out pathological impulses coming from the extrapyramidal zone, and the nervous tic disappears.

This effect is temporary, and after the cessation of the "distracting" activity, the nervous tic will resume.

Rapid elimination of the nervous tic of the eyelids

• Moderately press with your finger in the area of ​​​​the superciliary arch ( exit point from the cranial cavity of the nerve that innervates the skin upper eyelid ) and hold for 10 seconds.
• With the same force, press in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe inner and outer corners of the eye, holding for 10 seconds.
• Close both eyes tightly for 3-5 seconds. In this case, you need to strain your eyelids as much as possible. Repeat 3 times with an interval of 1 minute.

Geranium leaf compress

Nervous tic treatment

• non-drug methods of treatment;
• medical methods of treatment;
• folk methods treatment.

Non-drug treatments

The main directions are not drug treatment nervous tic in children are:

• individual psychotherapy;
• creating a favorable environment in the family;
• organization of the regime of work and rest;
• full sleep;
• complete nutrition;
• exclusion of nervous strain.

After a course of psychotherapy in children, there is a significant improvement in the emotional background, normalization of sleep, reduction or disappearance of nervous tics.

Creating a favorable family environment
First of all, parents should understand that a nervous tic is not pampering, not the whims of a child, but a disease that requires appropriate treatment. If a child has a nervous tic, you should not scold him, demand that he control himself, say that he will be laughed at at school, and so on. The child is not able to cope with a nervous tic on his own, and the wrong attitude of the parents only increases his internal psycho-emotional stress and aggravates the course of the disease.

How should parents behave if a child has a nervous tic?

• do not focus on the nervous tic of the child;
• treat the child as healthy, normal person;
• if possible, protect the child from all kinds of stressful situations;
• maintain a calm, comfortable atmosphere in the family;
• try to find out what problems the child has or had recently and help in solving them;
• if necessary, contact a pediatric neurologist in a timely manner.

Organization of the regime of work and rest
Improper distribution of time leads to overwork, stress and nervous exhaustion of the child. With a nervous tic, it is extremely important to exclude these factors, for which it is recommended to follow certain rules regarding work and rest.

Particular attention should be paid to products containing calcium, since the lack of this element reduces the threshold for excitation of muscle cells and contributes to the manifestation of nervous tics.

Depending on age, the need for calcium in children is as follows:

• from 4 to 8 years - 1000 mg ( 1 gram) calcium per day;
• from 9 to 18 years - 1300 mg ( 1.3 grams) calcium per day.

With a nervous tic in a child, the following should be excluded or limited:

• computer and video games, especially at bedtime;
• long TV viewing, more than 1 - 1.5 hours a day;
• reading books in inappropriate conditions - in transport, in poor lighting, lying down;
• listening to loud music, especially 2 hours before bedtime;
• tonic drinks - tea, coffee, especially after 18.00.

Medical treatment of a nervous tic

Medications prescribed for children with a nervous tic

Folk methods for the treatment of a nervous tic

Sedatives used for nervous tics in children

Other Treatments for Nervous Tics in Children

• relaxing massage;
• electrosleep.

electrosleep
This is a physiotherapy method that uses weak, low-frequency electrical impulses. They enter the cranial cavity through the eye sockets and act on the central nervous system ( central nervous system), enhancing the processes of inhibition in the brain and causing the onset of sleep.

Electrosleep effects:

• normalization of the emotional state;
• calming effect;
• improvement of blood supply and nutrition of the brain;
• normalization of the metabolism of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

The child should remove outer clothing and lie down on the couch. A special mask is put on the child's eyes, through which an electric current is supplied. The current frequency usually does not exceed 120 hertz, the current strength is 1 - 2 milliamps.

The procedure lasts from 60 to 90 minutes - during this time the child is in a state of drowsiness or sleep. For achievement therapeutic effect usually assigned 10 - 12 sessions of electrosleep.

Prevention of recurrence of a nervous tic

What should be done to avoid a recurrence of a nervous tic?

• maintain a normal psycho-emotional environment in the family;
• provide adequate nutrition and sleep;
• teach the child the right behavior under stress;
• do yoga, meditation;
• exercise regularly ( swimming, athletics);
• spend at least 1 hour outdoors every day;
• ventilate the child's room before going to bed.

What can trigger a recurrence of a nervous tic?

• stress;
• overwork;
• chronic sleep deprivation;
• tense psycho-emotional situation in the family;
• lack of calcium in the body;
• abuse of tonic drinks;
• long time watching TV;
• conducting a large number time at the computer;
• long video games.

Tics are stereotyped, repetitive movements. Usually first appear in children aged 3-5 years. Tics are characterized by an undulating course: periods of exacerbations, which usually last about 1.5 months, are replaced by periods of remission.

Types of tics in children

Depending on the severity of tics, tics can be local and widespread. With local tics, one region is involved, such as the head. The most common local tic is blinking. Common tics include multiple regions. Frequently occurring common tics are jumping, twitching of the arm or shoulder.

Tics can be single or multiple. For single ones, one stereotyped movement is characteristic, for multiple ones - their combination. Tics can change over time. For example, blinking is replaced by nose behavior, then both tics occur simultaneously. Other regions of the body may also be involved.

In addition to motor tics, there are vocal tics. They are characterized by a stereotypical pronunciation of any sounds (coughing, grunting, etc.). They can be combined with motor tics, or exist in isolation.

Causes of tics in children

Parents often associate the appearance of children's tics with stress and emotional upheaval. In fact, the cause of tics is a change in metabolism (dopamine and norepinephrine) in the subcortical structures of the brain. A person is born with a similar predisposition, and often it is inherited.

Not always tics are caused by a stress factor. There is not always a relationship between the occurrence of tics and experienced stress. A child may grow up in a prosperous and happy family, but one day without any external causes due to the peculiarities of the development of the brain, the mechanism turns on and clinical symptoms appear.

Often, additional examinations are not required. In some cases, EMC neurologists conduct an electroencephalogram in order to rule out epilepsy in a child. The prognosis of the course of the disease in most cases is favorable. In 80% of cases, tics go away on their own after reaching adolescence and do not require treatment. They can appear only sporadically during a period of increased fatigue, fatigue and emotional stress.

Treatment of nervous tics in

According to international protocols, in most cases, tics are not treated with drug therapy. This is due to the frequency of their manifestation. Medications are prescribed only in cases where tics cause significant physical or psychological discomfort to the patient. For example, a child blinks so often that his eyes hurt. Or, for example, the grunt is so loud that it’s hard for others to be around, so the child has difficulty communicating. Vocal tics can significantly limit a child's social life and affect their self-esteem.

Any therapy for tics is symptomatic, it does not eliminate the cause of the disease. Completely safe drugs that have proven effectiveness affect the source of the problem do not exist. All of them have nearby side effects therefore, strict indications are necessary for their appointment.

It is important to assess how much tics cause discomfort to the child. Often, parents insist on prescribing drug therapy because they are worried that the baby is experiencing inconvenience and difficulties in communicating with peers. But for the child himself, tics are not a problem or an obstacle to successful socialization.

There are a number of drugs that have a certain effect on the course of the disease. But none of them went through serious clinical trial. Therefore, often parents come with complaints that at first the drug was effective, but with the next exacerbation of the disease, the effect was not observed. This is due to the fact that the first stage of admission medicinal product often coincides with a period of remission, so parents get the impression of its effectiveness. Such drugs are not prescribed within the framework.

There are a number of diseases that are caused by streptococcal infection. The body begins to produce antibodies to streptococcus, which can affect subcortical structures. Therefore, if there are factors indicating a connection between childhood tics and streptococcal infection, a study is carried out for the presence of antibodies to streptococcus, if they are found, antibiotic therapy is prescribed.

There is a non-drug method for correcting nervous tics in children - BFB therapy (biofeedback), when classes are conducted with the help of a special computer program in order to influence the functional component of the brain. If biofeedback therapy is required, a neuropsychologist is involved in the management of the patient.