Young people develop tics; Pandemic and TikTok may be a cause – 09/02/2021

Frames related to mental health, such as depression and worrySince the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among young people. What has caught the attention of the scientific community, however, is the increase in tics in children and adolescents, including those who were previously diagnosed. The reason will be Stress Because of the “new” scenario as well as exposure on social media.

The topic has been studied by researchers from different parts of the world. One published article not my turn BJM, on March 6 of this year, shows that there is a “new wave” of patients with these complaints: Adolescents who report sudden onset of motor and vocal tics (when they make sounds).

According to the article’s authors, this is a rare and unusual subtype of tics within Tourette’s syndrome – a disease that causes uncontrollable tics. British scientists wrote: “Childhood tics usually begin at the age of five and seven and show an increasing and decreasing course of mostly tics, most commonly affecting boys in a 4 to 1 ratio.”

In this same article, there is a case report of a 14-year-old girl, who started presenting tics (motor and vocal) in November 2020 which involved “complex turns” of the head with neck movements and shaky hand movements, along with noises.

According to the article, the girl has a predisposition to developing tics and some features of ASD (autism spectrum disorder), which requires further investigation. But she also admitted to searching various sites around Turrett, as well as uploading videos showing ticks on TikTok.

Researchers Point to Tics Relationship Using TikTok

in a Another studyResearchers from eight TS clinics in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Australia have reported this “parallel epidemic” in girls aged 12 to 25 – the so-called Generation Z.

According to the poll, which was published on August 13 of this year in the magazine movement disorders, cases show a rapid onset of this behavior.

The scientists also claim that patients, in addition to experiencing the stress of the pandemic, also cited “exposure to social media influencers (mainly TikTok) who suffer from tics or Tourette’s syndrome.”

On the social network there are several videos that talk about ringtones with the word “tic tok” or the hashtag “# techs. According to the researchers, such exposure can encourage the onset of symptoms.

In some cases, patients specifically identified an association between such media exposure and the onset of symptoms, although with some younger children, social networking use was only confirmed after ‘careful questioning,’ the researchers wrote.

According to the study, the goal is to help clinicians identify patients with the disorder and teach them to differentiate young people with the “new syndrome” in relation to Tourette’s patients.

However, there is another point of view.

researchers Another study I decided to compare the “TikTok tics” with the tics of someone with Tourette’s syndrome. The conclusion was that although both have similar characteristics, they are not the same.

“We think this is an example of a sociogenic disease [da sociedade] Cluster, which includes behaviors, emotions, or conditions that propagate spontaneously through a group,” the study authors wrote in the journal. movement disorders.

In all articles, doctors and researchers explain the importance of bringing more information on the topic, with the aim of helping professionals, especially young people, especially at this time of an epidemic and an increase in exposure on social networks.