Seeing panic attacks in children is heartbreaking for
anyone, but it's especially awful when you realize your own child is dealing
with a panic disorder. No one that young should have so much to fear and so
much to worry about.
Unfortunately, panic attacks in children exist, and they can
be debilitating for young people. However, the good news is that for most
children, panic attacks are isolated, meaning that they don't reoccur and
aren't necessarily indicative of a chronic condition.
There is a small portion of the population of children in
America that do suffer from a full-blown anxiety disorder. Regular panic
attacks in children can grow out of a variety of causes: Post-traumatic stress,
confronting a specific phobia (such as heights or spiders) or more mysterious
origins that lay in a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Though
a chronic condition is less common in young children, panic disorder afflicts
around five percent of teenagers.
There is a wonderful, comprehensive article over at the web
page of the Massachusetts General Hospital about panic disorder in children, and what to
look for in terms of symptoms and recurring patterns. This is important information
for parents to have, as panic attacks in children don't always look the same as
panic attacks in adults.
Massachusetts General Hospital makes the following
recommendations concerning treatment for young people affected by panic
disorder:
·
Do everything
you can to help them avoid panic attack
s at home. This includes being calm
and comforting when they are experiencing an attack, listening to their
concerns and helping them to remember that they survived previous panic attacks
and will survive this one. If you notice that a child has recurring triggers,
anticipate attacks by giving them extra love and support when those triggers
are present. Lastly, teach them relaxation techniques such as deep breathing
and counting, and give them lots of praise and affirmation when they make it
through their panic attacks.
·
Do
everything you can to help them avoid panic attacks at school. Many people
working in education are sympathetic to panic attacks in children but don't
understand them well. Make sure that your child's teachers, nurses and school
staff understand your child's needs so the school can give them the support
they need to achieve academic success.
·
Seek
medical help. Psychological help, such as through counseling (whether
school-based or psychotherapeutic) is often enough to carry a child through to
a point where they can learn to manage their attacks. In some cases, doctors
may feel it's necessary to prescribe medications to help reduce a child's
symptoms. There are also alternative therapies available, including herbal
treatments and technology-driven treatments like neurofeedback, which helps
children learn to control their body's reaction to the sudden onset of feelings
like anxiety and fear.
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