Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Cheonmunka]

Hi, I have a son who had the following kind of twitch occasionally, and there is also one of my students, a boy, who had these last week, the ticks or twitch. It's when their eyes close and open like a stutter, the cheek muscles kind of twitch and make their eyes close and open again like a nervous 'tick.' That's the slang term my wife gives it. My wife knew what it was and has seen it before. It's the first I have ever seen it, on a child, or anywhere at anytime. This last few weeks is the first time I have ever seen it in Hanguk. So, it's like some sudden new illness to me.

It freaked me out when I saw it on my son. It makes their heads move a bit as a consequence of the muscle moving. It looks really uncomfortable and a little painful, too. It seemed to increase in frequency when I asked him about it.

What is it? What's it caused by?

[Lynns]

The word isn't slang, but it's spelled "tic." You can look it up online and find a lot of info. Some kids have mild tics that go away after a few months. Other kids have more severe ones. There are a lot of possible explanations, and if the problem is severe (such as Tourette's) there are treatments.

[kimchi_pizza]

Now, I am by no means a professional in this, but this comes from experience....

I had a tick but that I think was due to surpressed stress in a war zone (Bosnia) as a soldier. The moment I left for good, it disappeared.

Now, I have this annoying tick with an eyelid, but that's because of lack of sleep.

So, I think it's a combination of lack of rest and stress. Ever watch Saving Private Ryan? Tom Hanks' shaking hand? That kinda result's from buried stress or fear that manifests itself as ticks or shakes. At least that what I think. A body can't conceal a stressed mind.

If he's from another country, which it seems that he is, then he may be under a lot of stress. My advice: Make sure he eats well (food from his native country's best), and gets enough rest. If he just arrived, then he'll need to get acclimated and go through a bit of culture shock like anyone else. Give him time, I think he'll be fine. Rest and food and lessen the stress. Hope this helps...

[Cheonmunka]

Thanks. He's actually Korean. A little of that advice can go my way though. I'll take a break myself.
Cheers.