Woongjin Foundation publishes free comic book on tic disorders

A promotional poster for Woongjin Foundation's medical comic book explaining tic disorders / Courtesy of Woongjin Foundation

Woongjin Foundation has published a medical comic book explaining tic disorders and will distribute it for free, the foundation said Thursday.

The 80-page illustrated guide, titled "Understanding Tic Disorders," is the latest in the foundation's ongoing series, "Rare and Incurable Diseases Explained in Comics," which it has produced in partnership with medical professionals since 2008. This edition marks the 30th installment of the series.

Tic disorders affect the neurological system responsible for movement and sensation, causing affected individuals to repeat specific muscle movements or sounds involuntarily. The condition is visible enough that those around a patient can typically notice it. More than 10 percent of elementary school students experience tics at some point, though most cases improve as children grow older.

The book was written by Park Tae-won, a psychiatry professor at Jeonbuk National University who holds a doctoral degree from Seoul National University College of Medicine and is an associate member of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Illustrations were drawn by artist Oh Jeong-gyu.

The foundation plans to distribute the book at no cost through hospitals designated as regional centers for rare and incurable diseases. It will also be made available on the Woongjin Foundation website at www.wjf.kr for free public access.

The foundation's chairman, Shin Hyun-woong, said in the book's foreword that he hopes the publication will give tic disorder patients and their families "new hope and courage," while also helping correct misconceptions about the condition that have spread online and other forms of media.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.