There’s this superstition that hiccups mean: Someone is missing you. First off, I don’t believe it because I don’t get hiccups as often as other and I am pretty awesome. So clearly there’s always someone missing me. Jokes aside. How much control do you have over hiccups? Or even sneezing, the sudden kind of sneeze that comes out of nowhere. How long can you hold a hiccup? Few seconds? A minute. Tics share some similarities to hiccups. They aren’t the same but the sounds produced and the amount of control we have over them are alike. Except for the fact that hiccups don’t last as long as a tic disorder does.
A ‘tic’ is an involuntary muscle movement like a spasm that is sudden, rapid, repetitive and not periodic. They may even seem normal in a proper background but due to their frequency and most of the time inappropriate occasions, they are not. A person can try to control a tic but not for longer period.
Tics can be of three types:
1) motor (bodily movements)
2) vocal
3) both (Tourette’s Syndrome).
Motor Tics:
- blinking or twitching the eyes
- wrinkling the nose or grimacing
- biting the lip or moving the tongue (such as sticking the tongue out)
- jerking or banging the head
- twisting the neck
- squatting, hopping or bending over to touch the floor
- snapping the fingers
- shrugging the shoulders
- touching other people or things
- obscene gestures or movements
Vocal (or phonic) Tics:
- coughing
- grunting
- animal noises, such as barking
- snorting
- hissing
- sniffing
- clearing the throat
- squeaking
- repeating a sound, word or phrase
- using obscene or offensive words and phrases (this is uncommon)
Tic disorders are divided into 4 categories:
- Provisional Tic Disorder, previously known as Transient Tic Disorder is a childhood disorder in which the child experiences seemingly involuntary motor and/or verbal tics for up to one year. Example: Flaring the nostrils.
- Persistent Tic Disorder is either motor or vocal tics (not both) that is chronic.
- Tourette Syndrome: Comprising of both vocal and motor tics and is chronic.
- Tic Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (NOS)
Who defines normal? What is normal to me could be abnormal to you.
There is nothing wrong with having a disorder. People can lead full functioning happy lives with them. Accepting it and creating awareness is the best way to deal with it. Different doesn’t mean bad. Treatment is only recommended if there is a problem with self-image or an inability to perform activities. Tics can’t be cured. And that my dear is okay.
