Winks, twitches and grimaces in the face, uncontrolled movements with the arms and even moans and syllables; all this produced involuntarily. Nervous tics They can understand a wide range of behaviors and movements that complicate and incapacitate the lives of the people who suffer them. It is a disorder that can be chronic or transitory, but in many cases it can be treated or controlled in order to improve the quality of life of the person who has this problem.
We invite you to continue reading this article on Psychology-Online, if you want to know the main treatments to solve nervous tics.
Index
- What is a nervous tic?
- Nervous tics: types
- Nervous tics: drug treatment
- Psychotherapy to remove nervous tics
- Nervous tics: natural treatment
What is a nervous tic?
Tics are defined as involuntary contractions that can involve any muscle, be it of the face, trunk or extremities. As mentioned above, a tic disorder is a neurological disorder, although it can sometimes be
Normally, nervous tics They appear in the form of frequent blinks, facial gestures, rapid movements of the legs, arms or other areas. A tic can also be a sound produced, such as a growl, a throat clearing, or a series of repetitions of words. It is common for people, once they realize they have tics, are able to contain these impulses for a short period of time but when they do them, they feel great pleasure and relief.
Sometimes tics are a symptom of a medical illness More serious. For that reason, we must go to a specialist for a review and we can rule out a possible disease. After making a proper diagnosis, the doctors will offer us a series of treatments based on or on the psychotherapy, or in the drugs.
Nervous tics: types.
In the first instance, we must go to a doctor as soon as possible so that we rule out any other disease and that we diagnose the syndrome correctly. Nerve tics can cluster together and form part of highly disabling syndromes (such as Tourette syndrome) or, on the contrary, appear in the form of isolated gestures. A doctor will be able to correctly assess our condition and make a more specific diagnosis.
Tics can be classified in many ways based on their nature or severity, below we will point outThe typesnervous tics more common:
Simple or complex
A simple tic is characterized by being a spontaneous and fleeting gesture (a wink, a clear throat or a grimace), it only uses a specific group of muscles and does not usually last long. Complex tics, on the other hand, involve more than one muscle group and a series of coordinated movements, such as clapping or repeating words.
Vowels or motors
As its name suggests, a vocal tic involves the use of the vocal cords to produce a sound, a word, or, in some extreme cases, a phrase. A motor tic, on the other hand, includes those physical and involuntary movements such as shaking the limbs, snapping fingers or hitting the ground.
Tourette syndrome
This disease usually has its onset in childhood, it includes all types of tics at once: simple and complex, vocal and motor. These must remain for more than a year for the diagnosis to be made. It is a syndrome that incapacitates the person who suffers from it according to the severity of the symptoms. But luckily enough has been studied and various treatments have been found to effectively control Tourette syndrome.
Nervous tics: drug treatment.
Some cases, those who suffer from this disorder do not need a specific treatment, it is enough for them to try to control their tics. Despite this, it is not enough if the disorder is too severe. Therefore, the treatment that the doctor can give us will depend on the severity of the tic and how it affects your daily life. Usually, psychotherapy and medications in combination they are quite effective.
The use of drugs to control nervous tics is recommended only if the disorder is severe. The two most commonly used medications are:
- Clondine (Catapress): It is the most widely used drug, in addition to being quite effective, it is also convenient since it is administered in the form of a patch.
- Guanephezin (Tenex): this drug is used mainly to treat other problems such as blood pressure. Still, improvements have been found in the tics and hyperactive behaviors that often accompany the disorder.
Psychotherapy to remove nervous tics.
Psychotherapy has proven to be a great ally in the treatment of nervous tics, combined with medication when necessary can be a very effective solution.
Psychological therapy to cure or treat tics can be a behavior training: repetitions, inhibition, control and exercises to condition our brain to avoid the appearance of tics. These behaviors can be rewarded with something pleasant for the patient, thus associating the control of tics with a pleasant sensation.
Another type of therapy may be based on eliminate stressor. As we have commented previously, some tics appear due to psychological factors, if we treat the anxiety and stress with relaxation exercises, we can improve and control the appearance of tics nervous
Nervous tics: natural treatment.
When the tics have an emotional origin, there are other treatments apart from the ones we have mentioned above, we talk about the Natural medicine.
- Some alternatives to traditional psychotherapy are: performing yoga, controlling breathing, doing relaxation exercises, maintain a healthy life and strengthen the nervous system with mental activities every day.
- There are also other alternative treatments to drugs, for example: avoid any stimulating food or drink and substitute calming herbs. Orange blossom, peppermint, chamomile and linden are good allies in the natural treatment of nervous tics.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Treatments to solve nervous tics, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.
