Tics and obsessions in children negatively affect their social development. Stating that obsessions and attention deficit may also accompany someone with tics, experts say that there are those who beat their children so that their tics will go away.
Experts also note that it is not correct to evaluate tics as if they are not involuntary, but as behaviors that the child does on purpose, does to attract attention or does out of spite.
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Specialist Assist. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Emel Sarı Gökten from Üsküdar University NPISTANBUL Hospital stated that tics and obsessions seen in children are biologically based and that stress and anxiety situations trigger this situation.
Stating that tics and obsessions are separate things, tics are movements and sounds that occur as a result of involuntary short-term contraction of some muscles in our body, Gökten said, "There are two types of tics: motor tic and vocal tic. Motor tics are tics such as blinking, lifting the nose or clearing the throat, and vocal tics are tics such as sniffling. Both are caused by involuntary rapid, non-rhythmic short-term contractions of certain muscles in our body."
TICS AND OBSESSIONS ARE DIFFERENT BUT RELATED
Stating that obsession is different from tics, Assist. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Emel Sarı Gökten said, "Obsession is something different. When we say obsession, we understand the thoughts, dreams or impulses that enter the mind of the person involuntarily and make him restless. Usually, people with obsessions do certain behaviors to get rid of the distress caused by them and relieve themselves. They are two different situations, but they are related to each other. Because similar regions in the brain play a role in the formation of both. Their treatments are also different from each other."
BIOLOGICAL PREDISPOSITION IS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN TICS
Pointing out that in tics, the person can prevent it for a while, but then it starts again involuntarily, Assist. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gökten said, "If a child has a tic, the child definitely has a biological predisposition to develop a tic. Biological factors are very important in tic formation. Functional problems in certain parts of our brain cause tics. Environmental stressors are also very important. These stressors can cause tics to start. Or after the onset, there may be an increase in tics in case of any stress, and if the child is happier, tics may decrease."
PSYCHIATRIC PROBLEMS ACCOMPANY TICS
Stating that the child's anxiety alone is not enough for tics and that there is a biological predisposition in the child, Gökten said, "No matter what complaint a child or adolescent comes to us with, we do not only evaluate that problem. We evaluate the structure of the family, the emotional structure of the child, the school environment. We see other accompanying psychiatric problems in children with tics. The most common obsessions we see with tics, namely Obsessive Compulsive Disorder OCD. Tics do not harm the child's body or organs. But environmental factors cause a lot of damage to them. In our society, tics can be evaluated as if they are not involuntary, but as behaviors that the child does on purpose, does to attract attention or does out of spite," he said.
THERE ARE CHILDREN WHO ARE BEATEN FOR TICS TO GO AWAY
Stating that there are children who are beaten especially by adults so that their tics will go away, Assist.Assoc.Prof. Dr. Emel Sarı Gökten said, "However, this situation is definitely not in the hands of the child. Someone says to the parents, 'If you beat it, it will go away' and actually beats the child. The fact that the child is constantly pressured, made fun of, or insisted on not doing it has the opposite effect. It increases the child's anxiety and distress. Therefore, tics increase. When anxiety increases, tics increase both in intensity, severity and frequency."
OBSESSION DISEASE ALSO OCCURS IN CHILDREN WITH TICS
"Tics and obsessions are different from each other, so there is actually no danger of tics turning into obsessions, but children with tics may also have obsessions. Tics and obsessions occur due to functional problems of similar regions of our brain," Gökten said, adding, "We see obsessions together most often in children with tic problems. Almost 50 percent of them have an accompanying obsession. The tics we mostly see in children are tics that come and go in adolescents. Movements such as blinking, grimacing or mild vocal tics that last for less than a year and do not disrupt the child's functionality too much, show periodic increases and decreases. Tics usually improve with age. If tics do not negatively affect the child's functionality, we may not consider starting medical treatment or medication immediately."
TICS, OBSESSIONS AND ATTENTION DEFICIT ARE SEEN TOGETHER
Stating that recent studies have found that children with tics have both obsessions and attention deficit, Assist. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Emel Sarı Gökten said, "These three are together. We question whether there are troublesome thoughts that enter the child's mind and what they do to get rid of them. We definitely question the obsession disease. I especially hear about pencil sharpening. It is forbidden to sharpen pencils in class. These children are uncomfortable when they sit for a long time. We make suggestions to teachers. We tell them to give tasks to such energetic children and let them do them. Attention deficit is more common with school. Tics start at the age of 7-8 on average. Families come with complaints such as 'He cannot sit in class, we cannot make him do homework'. As we follow up, we see that they also have tics."
Stating that they start a medical treatment for the child diagnosed with obsessive disorder, Gökten said, "Medication is absolutely necessary. Treatment without medication is not possible in such children, it is very difficult. The drugs we use are special drugs for the child group. Families should be comfortable in this regard."
FAMILIES MORE OBSESSED
Stating that the family is more anxious when a child is brought to them with obsessive disorder, Gökten said, "Obsessions also affect the family's life negatively. The child brings the family into this wheel of obsession. Families are always anxious and worried. In addition to medical treatment, it is very important to inform the family. It is necessary to calm them down and explain that this condition is treatable."
FAMILY, DOCTOR, TEACHER AND SCHOOL SHOULD COOPERATE
Asst. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Emel Sarı Gökten said, "We cannot do the treatment against the family, we should do it together with the family. Let's work as a team so that we can treat the child. The work on the child will be successful with the cooperation of the family, school, physician and teacher."