Increased Number of Functional Tics Seen in Danish Adolescents during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: Global increase in functional tics in adolescents has been observed. Differentiating functional from classic tics is important since pathophysiology and treatment differ. We investigated possible triggers for development of functional tics and discuss the possible role of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and social media exposure in cases of functional tics seen during this period.

[Significantly increased incidence of functional tics among children and adolescents].

During 2020, an increase of functional tics in children and adolescents has been observed. In this review, we present phenotypes, differential diagnosis and treatment for functional tics. We discuss potential contributing causes, like the COVID-19 pandemic and the focus on tics on social media.