Neuroses and tics in children

Childhood neuroses frighten and confuse parents, especially if such mental states are associated with the manifestation of tics. In search of reasons and answers to their questions, adults bypass dozens of doctors, but they often fail to clarify the situation. The only thing that parents get is a prescription for a psychotropic drug, which adequate parents do not want to feed their child. In this article, we will help you understand what neurotic tics are associated with, what are the causes of neuroses and how to help a child without heavy medication.

What it is?

The concept of "neurosis" hides a whole group of psychogenic disorders. The bad news for moms and dads is that all neuroses tend to be very long-lasting, chronic. And the good thing is that neuroses are reversible, and in most cases the child completely manages to get rid of such conditions.

Due to the fact that children are not always able to tell in words what worries or worries them, constant nervous tension is transformed into a neurotic state, in which violations are observed both on the mental and physical levels. The behavior of the child changes, mental development can slow down, a tendency to hysteria appears, mental activity suffers. Sometimes internal tension finds a kind of outlet at the physical level - this is how nervous tics arise. They are not independent disorders and always appear against the background of a neurosis or neurosis-like state. However, the neurosis itself may well proceed without tics. Much depends on the personality of the child, his character, temperament, characteristics of upbringing, the state of the nervous system and other factors.

Neurosis practically does not occur in infants, but then the frequency of such disorders in children begins to grow rapidly, and in the kindergarten age approximately 30% of children have neuroses to one degree or another, and by middle school age the number of neurotics rises to 55%. Almost 70% of adolescents have neuroses.

Nervous tics for the most part are an exclusively childish problem. There are few adults in the world who suddenly under the influence of stress began to suffer from tics. But there are such adults who have carried neurotic tics out of their childhood, since most often the violation is laid precisely in childhood.

Tics of a wide variety of types are most common in children aged 5 to 12 years. About a quarter of all neurotic children suffer from some kind of tics. In girls, physical manifestations of nervous conditions are 2 times less common than in boys of a similar age. Experts explain this fact by the fact that the psyche of girls is more labile, it undergoes age-related changes faster and goes through a period of formation.

Neurosis and tics are disorders of higher nervous activity. Modern medicine believes that these conditions contribute to the emergence of a variety of diseases and pathologies. There has even appeared a whole direction - psychosomatics, which studies the possible connections of psychological and mental states with the development of certain diseases.

So, it is believed that hearing problems most often occur in children whose parents were too authoritarian and suppressed the child, and kidney diseases are characteristic of children whose mothers and fathers often conflict with each other and often insult their child verbally and physically. Since neuroses are reversible states, the task of the parents is to start the process of reverse development as soon as possible, and for this it is imperative to find the cause of the child's condition and devote all efforts to eliminating it.

Causes

Finding the causes of neurosis in a child is always a very difficult task. But if you look at the problem from a medical point of view, the search area is significantly narrowed. Neurosis, and consequently, neurotic tics, are always associated with the development of a conflict - internal and external. A fragile child's psyche with great difficulty can withstand many circumstances that do not seem out of the ordinary to adults. But for children, such circumstances are very difficult, causing psychological trauma, stress, overstrain of the intellectual, mental and emotional spheres.

Scientists and doctors are still arguing about how exactly the mechanism for the development of disorders of nervous activity is realized. The difficulty of studying this issue is primarily due to the fact that the mechanisms are quite individual, unique for each baby, because a child is a separate person with his own fears, attachments and the ability to resist stress.

The most common causes of neuroses and neurosis-like states are:

unfavorable situation in the family (scandals, quarrels, divorce of parents);
total mistakes in the upbringing of a child (overprotection, lack of attention, permissiveness or excessive severity and exactingness of parents in relation to the baby);
features of the child's temperament (choleric and melancholic people are more prone to the development of neuroses than sanguine and phlegmatic people);
fears, phobias of the baby, with which he, due to his age, is not able to cope;
overwork and overexertion (if the baby does not get enough sleep, attends several sections and two schools at the same time, then his psyche is working "for wear and tear");

psychological trauma, stress (we are talking about specific traumatic situations - the death of a loved one, forced parting with one of the parents or both, physical or mental violence, conflict, severe fear);
doubts and fears for safety in the future (after moving to a new place of residence, after transferring a child to a new kindergarten or to a new school);
age-related "crises" (during periods of active reconfiguration of the nervous system and psyche - at 1 year old, at 3-4 years old, at 6-7 years old, during puberty - the risks of developing neuroses increase tenfold).

Nervous tics develop in about 60% of preschool neurotics and 30% of schoolchildren. In adolescents, tics against the background of neurosis appear only in 10% of cases.

The reasons for the development of involuntary muscle contractions on the wrong command of the brain can also be different:

past illness (after severe bronchitis, reflex coughing can form into a tic, and after conjunctivitis as a tic, the habit of blinking frequently and fractionally may persist);
mental shock, severe fright, a situation that caused a huge psychological trauma (we are not talking about long-term exposure to stress factors, but about a specific one-time situation in which the child's nervous system and psyche did not have time to "compensate" for the damage, since the effect of stress was many times stronger);
desire to imitate (if a child observes tics in one of the relatives or other children in the collective of a kindergarten or school, he can simply start copying them and gradually these movements will become reflex movements);
aggravation of manifestations of neurosis (if the negative factor that caused the neurosis not only does not disappear, but also increases its impact).

The true reasons may remain unknown, since the field of the human psyche has not yet been sufficiently studied, and doctors cannot explain all violations in the behavior of a child from the point of view of science.

Classification

All childhood neuroses, despite the lack of scientific data on the causes and mechanisms of development, have a strict classification, designated in the international classification of diseases (ICD-10):

neuroses of obsessive states or thoughts (characterized by increased anxiety, anxiety, conflict of needs and norms of behavior);
fear neuroses or phobic neuroses (associated with intense and uncontrollable fear of something, such as fear of spiders or the dark);
hysterical neuroses (destabilization of the child's emotional sphere, in which there are behavioral disturbances, hysterical attacks, motor and sensory disorders that arise in the child in response to situations that the child considers hopeless);
neurasthenia (the most common type of illness in childhood, in which the child experiences an acute conflict between the requirements for himself and the actual inability to meet these requirements);
obsessive-compulsive neurosis (a condition in which the child uncontrollably performs certain cyclic movements with annoying methodicality);
food neurosis (neurotic bulimia or anorexia - overeating, constant feeling of hunger or refusal to eat against the background of nervous rejection);
panic attacks (disorders characterized by attacks of intense fear that the child cannot control and explain);
somatoform neuroses (conditions in which the activity of internal organs and systems is disrupted - neurosis of the heart, neurosis of the stomach, etc.);
guilt neurosis (disturbances in the activity of the psyche and nervous system, which developed against the background of a painful and in most cases unjustified feeling of guilt).

Nervous transient tics that can develop against the background of any type of neurosis also have their own classification.

They are:

Mimic - with involuntary repetitive contraction of the facial muscles. These include facial, ocular, lip and wing tics.
Vocal - with spontaneous nervous contraction of the vocal muscles. An audible tic can manifest itself as a stuttering, and obsessive repetition of a certain sound, coughing. Voice tics are very common among children, especially those of preschool age.
By motor - with contraction of the muscles of the limbs. These are twitching of arms and legs, waving and splashes of arms, which are repeated often and have no logical explanation.

All tics are divided into local (when one muscle is involved) and generalized (when a whole group of muscles or several groups work at once during the movement). Also, tics are simple (with an elementary movement) and complex (with more complex movements). Typically, children develop primary tics as a result of severe stress or other psychogenic causes. Doctors talk about secondary doctors only if tics accompany pathologies of the brain (encephalitis, trauma).

Quite rarely, but still there are hereditary tics, they are called Tourette's syndrome.

It is not difficult to establish what kind of tics the child has, it is much more difficult to find the true cause, including the connection with neurosis. And without this, full treatment is not possible.

Study history

For the first time, neurosis was described in the 18th century by the Scottish doctor Cullen. Until the 19th century, people with neurotic and neurosis-like tics were considered possessed. Famous people rose to fight against obscurantism at different times. Sigmund Freud explained neuroses by the conflict between the true needs of the organism and the individual and the social and moral norms that are invested in the child from childhood. He devoted a whole scientific work to this theory.

Academician Pavlov, not without the help of his famous dogs, concluded that neurosis is a violation of higher nervous activity, which is associated with disturbances of nerve impulses in the cortex of the cerebral hemispheres. Society was ambiguous about the information that neurosis is characteristic not only of humans, but also of animals. American psychologist Karen Horney in the XX century concluded that childhood neurosis is nothing more than a defensive reaction against the negative effects of this world. She proposed to divide all neurotics into three groups - those who strive for people, pathologically need love, communication, participation, those who try to distance themselves from society and those who act in spite of this society, whose behavior and actions have the goal of proving to everyone that they can do a lot and are more successful than everyone else.

Neurologists and psychiatrists of our time have different points of view. But on one thing they agree - neurosis is not a disease, rather, it is a special condition, and therefore its correction is both desirable and possible in all cases.

Symptoms and Signs

Neuroses in children and the possible accompanying tics have different symptoms, which depend on the type and type of disorder. However, all neurotic states are characterized by a group of signs that can be traced in all neurotic children.

Mental manifestations

Neurosis can by no means be considered a mental disorder, since disorders arise under the influence of external circumstances, while most truly mental illnesses are associated with internal factors. Most mental illnesses do not have a sign of reversibility and are chronic, and neurosis can be overcome and forgotten about.

With real diseases of the psyche, the child has growing signs of dementia, destructive personality changes, and backwardness. With neurosis, there are no such signs. Mental illness does not cause rejection in a person, the patient regards it as a part of himself and is not capable of self-criticism. With neurosis, the child realizes that something is wrong, wrong, and this does not give him rest. Neurosis causes inconvenience not only to his parents, but also to himself, with the exception of some types of tics, which the baby simply does not control, and therefore does not consider significant.

You can suspect a neurosis in a child by the following changes:

The child's mood changes frequently, unexpectedly and for no objective reason. Tears can become laughter in a matter of minutes, and a good mood can change into depressive, aggressive or otherwise in seconds.
Almost all types of neuroses in children are characterized by a pronounced indecision. It is very difficult for a child to make even a simple decision on his own - which T-shirt to wear or which breakfast to choose.
All children with neurotic changes experience certain difficulties in communication. It is difficult for some to establish contacts, others experience pathological attachment to the people with whom they communicate, others cannot maintain communication for a long time, they are afraid to say or do something wrong.
The self-esteem of neurotic children is not adequate. It is either overestimated and this cannot go unnoticed, or it is underestimated and the child sincerely does not consider himself capable, talented, successful.
Without exception, all children with neuroses from time to time experience attacks of fear and anxiety. And there are no objective reasons for alarm. This symptom can be weakly expressed - only occasionally the child expresses fears or behaves wary. It also happens that attacks are pronounced, up to panic attacks.
A child with neurosis in no way cannot determine the value system, the concepts of "good and bad" are somewhat blurred for him. His desires and preferences often contradict each other. Often a child even at preschool age shows signs of cynicism.

Children with some types of neurosis are often irritable. This is especially characteristic of neurasthenics. Irritability and even anger can manifest itself in the simplest life situations - it was not possible to draw something the first time, the shoelaces on the shoes were untied, the toy broke.
Neurotic children have almost no resistance to stress. Any little stress causes them to experience attacks of deep despair or pronounced unmotivated aggression.
It can talk about neurosis excessive tearfulness, increased sensitivity and vulnerability. This behavior should not be attributed to the character of the child, normally these qualities are balanced and not striking. With neurosis, they hypertrophy.
Often a child dwells on the situation that injured him. If the neurosis and tics were caused by the attack of a neighbor's dog, the baby often experiences this situation again and again, the fear grows and turns into a fear of all dogs in general.
The performance of a child with neurosis is reduced. He quickly gets tired, cannot concentrate his memory for a long time, and quickly forgets previously learned material.
Neurotic children hard to tolerate loud sounds, sudden noises, bright lights and temperature changes.
With neuroses of all types, sleep problems - it can be very difficult for a child to fall asleep, even if he is tired, often sleep is restless, superficial, the baby often wakes up, does not get enough sleep.

Physical manifestations

Since there is a connection between neurosis and the work of internal organs and systems, the violation cannot but be accompanied by signs of a physical property.

They can be very different, but most often neurologists and child psychiatrists note the following symptoms:

The child often complains of headaches, tingling in the heart, palpitations, shortness of breath and pain of unknown origin in the abdomen. At the same time, medical examinations for the search for diseases of these organs and areas do not reveal any pathologies, the child's tests are also within the normal range.
Children with neuroses are often lethargic, sleepy, they do not have the strength to perform any actions.
Children with neuroses have unstable blood pressure. It then rises, then falls, while there are attacks of dizziness, nausea. Doctors often diagnose vegetative-vascular dystonia.
In some forms of neurosis in children, vestibular disorders are observedDifficulty keeping balance when necessary.

Appetite problems characteristic of the overwhelming majority of neurotics. Children may be malnourished, overeat, experience an almost constant feeling of hunger, or, conversely, almost never feel severe hunger.
In children with neurotic disorders unstable chair - constipation is replaced by diarrhea, vomiting often occurs for no particular reason, indigestion occurs quite often.
Neurotics are very sweating and more often than other children, they run to the toilet on an occasional need.
Often neuroses are accompanied by idiopathic coughwithout a reasonable cause, in the absence of any pathologies from the respiratory system.
With neurosis, it can be observed enuresis.

In addition, children with neuroses are more susceptible to acute viral infections, colds, their immunity is weaker. In order to draw a conclusion about whether a child has a neurosis or prerequisites for its development, one should evaluate not one or two separate symptoms, but a large list of signs of both physical and psychological properties together.

If more than 60% of the symptoms from the above coincide, you should definitely make an appointment with a doctor.

Tick manifestations

Nervous tics are visible to the naked eye. With primary ticks, all involuntary movements are local in nature. They rarely spread to large muscle groups. Most often, they involve the face and shoulders of the child (blinking, twitching lips, puffing up the wings of the nose, shrugging the shoulders).

Tics are not noticeable at rest and only get worse when the child is in a stressful situation.

Most often, primary disorders are manifested as:

blinking;
walking in a vicious circle or in a straight line back and forth;
teeth grinding;
splashing hands or strange hand movements;
winding strands of hair around your finger or pulling out hair;
strange noises.

Hereditary and secondary tics usually appear in a child closer to 5-6 years. They are almost always generalized (involving muscle groups). They are manifested by blinking and grimaces, uncontrollable shouting of curses and obscene expressions, as well as the constant repetition of the same word, including the one heard from the interlocutor.

Diagnostics

There is a big problem in the diagnosis of neuroses - overdiagnosis. It is sometimes easier for a neurologist to make such a diagnosis to a child than to search for the true cause of the disorders. That is why statistics indicate a rapid increase in the number of neurotic children over the past few decades.

A child with poor appetite, sleep disturbances, or mood swings is not always neurotic. But parents require help from a specialist, and the doctor has no choice but to diagnose and prescribe treatment. After all, it is incredibly difficult to refute the diagnosis "neurosis", and therefore no one can accuse the doctor of incompetence.

If there is a suspicion of a neurosis in a child, it is not enough for parents to visit a local neurologist alone. It will be necessary to show the child to two more specialists - a child psychiatrist and a psychotherapist. The psychotherapist will try to understand as much as possible in what psychological environment the child lives; for children of middle and senior school age, the method of hypnotic sleep can be used. This specialist pays special attention to the relationship between parents, between parents and a child, between a child and his peers. If necessary, a series of tests for behavioral reactions will be carried out, an analysis of the baby's drawings, a study of his reactions during the game process.

The psychiatrist examines the child for the connection between neurosis and impaired brain function, for this specific tests will be used, an MRI of the brain may be prescribed. A neurologist is a specialist with whom the examination should begin and with whom it then ends.

He summarizes the data received from the psychiatrist and psychotherapist, analyzes their conclusions and recommendations, and assigns:

general and biochemical blood test;
X-ray and computed tomography of the brain;
electroencephalography.

The presence of neurosis as such can be judged in cases where:

the child has no pathologies of the brain and impulse conduction;
the child has no mental illness;
the child does not have and has not had a head injury in the recent past;
the baby is somatically healthy;
neurotic manifestations are repeated for six months or more.

Treatment

Treatment of neurosis always begins not with taking pills, but with correcting relationships in the family where the baby lives and is brought up. Psychologists and psychotherapists help with this. Parents should change their attitude towards the child, eliminate or correct their pedagogical mistakes, try to protect the child from severe stress, frightening and traumatic situations. Joint activities are very useful - reading, writing, walking, playing sports, as well as the subsequent detailed discussion of everything that has been done, seen or read together.

Learning how to articulate feelings and emotions in a specific situation will make it easier for a child to get rid of traumatic memories.

A marriage that is bursting at the seams does not have to be preserved for the sake of a child who has developed neurosis about this. Parents should weigh well how it will be better - without one of the parents who scandals, drinks, uses violence or with him.

However, it should be remembered that one parent who is calm, confident, loves and appreciates the baby is better for the child than two worn out and suffering parents.

A lot in the treatment of neurosis falls on the shoulders of the family. Without her participation, the doctor will not be able to do anything, and the pills and injections will not bring any result. Therefore, drug treatment is not considered the main type of therapy for neuroses. A neurologist, a psychologist, and a psychotherapist, who have interesting methods of helping neurotic children, are ready to help parents in their difficult task.

Therapies

In the arsenal of the psychotherapist and child psychologist there are such methods of correcting the baby's condition, such as:

creative treatment (the specialist sculpts, draws and cuts together with the baby, while talking with him and helping to sort out a complex internal conflict);
pet therapy (treatment through communication and interaction with pets);
play psychotherapy (classes according to special methods, during which the specialist will carefully observe and evaluate the child's behavioral and psychological reactions to stress, failure, excitement, etc.);
fairy tale therapy (understandable for children's understanding and an entertaining way of psychocorrection, which allows the child to accept models of correct behavior, set priorities, determine personal values);
auto-training (a method of relaxation on the physical and mental levels, great for adolescents and older children);
hypnotherapy (a method of correcting psyche and behavior by creating new attitudes during immersion in a trance. Suitable only for older children and adolescents);
group sessions with a psychotherapist (allow you to correct neuroses associated with difficulties in communication, in adaptation to new conditions).

A good result is brought by classes in which children are present with their parents. After all, the main type of therapy for neurosis, which has no equal in terms of effectiveness, is love, trust, mutual understanding between the child and his family members.

Medication

Medications for the treatment of simple and uncomplicated neuroses are usually not required. The doctor may recommend herbal preparations that have a calming effect: Persen, motherwort pharmacy collection. The child can be given as an aid tea with lemon balm, mint, motherwort, make baths with decoctions of these herbs.

In some cases, the doctor prescribes nootropic drugs "Pantogam", "Glycine". They require systematic and long-term use, since they have a cumulative property of action. To improve cerebral circulation, prescribe "Cinnarizin" in an age dosage. If laboratory tests show a lack of calcium or magnesium in the child's body, which also contributes to neurological disorders, the doctor prescribes accordingly "Calcium gluconate" or its analogues, and "Magnesium B6" or other magnesium preparations.

The list of drugs that can be prescribed for nervous tics is much more extensive. It can include antipsychotics and psychotropic drugs. A prerequisite for the appointment of such powerful and serious drugs - tics should be secondary, that is, associated with disorders of the brain and central nervous system.

Depending on the nature of tics and other features of behavior (aggressiveness, hysteria or apathy), Haloperidol, Levomepromazin, Phenibut, Tazepam, Sonapax... With severe convulsive tics, the doctor may advise Botox and botulinum toxin preparations. They allow you to "turn off" a specific muscle from the pathological chain of nerve impulses for the time during which this connection can cease to be reflexive. Any medication for serious neurotic disorders must be prescribed and approved by a doctor, self-medication is inappropriate.

Most neurotic children are helped by drugs that help to establish normal sound sleep. Within a few weeks, the child becomes more calm, adequate, and benevolent. Doctors advise against the use of strong hypnotics for childhood neurosis. Mild remedies or homeopathic remedies like drops will be enough "Baiu-Bai", "Dormikind", "Hare".

Physiotherapy and massage

All children with neuroses benefit from massage. It is not necessary to turn to the expensive services of specialists, because therapeutic massage is not indicated for such violations. A relaxing massage will be enough, which any mother can do on her own at home. The main condition is not to do tonic techniques that have the opposite effect - exciting and invigorating. The massage should be just relaxing. When carrying out such an impact, it is necessary to avoid pressing, pinching, deep kneading.

The relaxing effect can be achieved with gentle strokes, circular movements of the hands without effort, light rubbing of the skin.

In the presence of primary nerve tics, additional massage techniques can be added for the area affected by involuntary muscle contraction. Massage of the face, hands, shoulder girdle should also be relaxing, non-aggressive, measured. It is enough to do a massage once a day, in the evening, before bathing. It is important for babies that the massage gives them pleasure, so it is advisable to carry it out in a playful way.

With secondary tics, a professional therapeutic massage is required. It is better to turn to a good specialist who will teach mom or dad all the necessary techniques in a few sessions so that they can then carry out the course treatment of the child on their own. Among physiotherapeutic methods, acupuncture is quite often and quite successfully practiced. The method has no age restrictions, however, provided that the child is somatically healthy.

Do not underestimate the effect of physiotherapy exercises. Children 2-3 years old can already attend such classes with their parents. When drawing up a lesson plan for a specific baby, a specialist will take into account all motor manifestations of neurosis, teach special exercises that will relax and strain the necessary muscle groups in order to save the child from the manifestation of tics.

A child with neurosis and tics will benefit from swimming. In the water, all muscle groups relax in a child, and the physical load on them during movement is uniform. It is not necessary to enroll the child in the professional sports section, it is enough to visit the pool once a week, and for the kids to arrange swims in a large home bath.

For information on what treatment for this type of disorder is recommended by Dr. Komarovsky, see the next video.

Prevention

To avoid the development of neuroses in a child will help measures that maximize prepare the child's psyche for possible stressful situations:

Adequate education. A child should not grow up in greenhouse conditions, so as not to grow up weak-willed and insecure neurasthenic. However, excessive severity and even parental cruelty can also disfigure the personality of the baby beyond recognition. You should not resort to blackmail, manipulation, physical punishment. The best tactic is cooperation and constant dialogue with the child from a very early age.
Family well-being. It is not so important whether a baby is growing in a complete or incomplete family. The microclimate that prevails at home is of great importance. Scandals, drunkenness, tyranny and despotism, physical and moral violence, abuse, shouting - all this provides fertile ground for the development of not only neuroses, but also more complex mental problems.

Daily routine and nutrition. Free regime advocates are more likely to experience neurotic disorders in their children than parents who have taught their child to follow a certain daily routine from birth. The regimen is especially important for children of primary school age, who are already in a state of severe stress - starting school requires endurance and patience from them.Children's nutrition should be balanced, rich in vitamins and all necessary microelements. Fast food should be mercilessly limited.

Timely psychological assistance. It will not be possible to completely protect the child from stress and negative influences on the psyche, no matter how hard the parents try. However, they must be sensitive enough to notice the slightest changes in the behavior and mood of their child, in order to respond in a timely manner and help the child understand what has happened. If your own strength and knowledge is not enough for this, you should contact a psychologist. There are such specialists today in every kindergarten, in every school, and their task is to help a child, regardless of his age, overcome a difficult situation, find the right solution, and make an adequate and informed choice.
Harmonious development. A child must develop in several directions in order to become a whole person. Children whose parents require only sports records or excellent school performance are more likely to become neurotic. It is good if the child combines sports with reading books, with music lessons. At the same time, parents should not overestimate their requirements and harass the child with their overestimated expectations. Then failures will be perceived as a temporary test, and the child's feelings about this will not overpower the compensatory abilities of his psyche.