subject: Panic Attacks In Children - On Symptoms, Causes And Cures [print this page] Heart-wrenching, isn't it, to see one's child suffer anxiety, especially panic attacks. Of course a modest amount of anxiety may be necessary at the right ages to teach certain valuable lessons about avoiding real danger and overcoming fears. And young children go through a stage where they need to feel secure with a parent; separation anxiety in the first week of school or so is an example of the conflict between the needs for security and growth in independence.
But at what point does anxiety in children become a problem that needs more definite and specific treatment than everyday parenting skills normally address? The answer may be variable and require parental discretion, but there are signs and symptoms that clearly suggest a child's stress level is out of the ball park. Panic attacks in children is one such sign.
I. Panic attack symptoms in children
When among his or her peers or parents, a child at some point of development may feel ashamed to display signs of undergoing a panic attack. Nonetheless, some signs are hard to hide. If in any case, a parent witnesses a child in the throws of an attack, some common symptoms include the following:
Obvious facial expressions of terror
A face drained of blood
Tears, crying out ... or silence
Unusual perspiration
A dry tongue
Unexectedly cold, wet hands
Trembling in some bodily area(s)
Heart beating faster than activity level suggests is warranted
Tingling or numbness, such as in the fingers
Rapid breathing or difficulty breathing
Feeling of going crazy
Vertigo
Pains in the abdomen or throat
Nausea without sickness
Feeling a strong need to urinate or defecate
Tight muscles, such as in the neck and shoulders
Note that some symptoms can be seen, heard, or felt in a child while others must be found by asking direct or indirect questions. The questioning person, however, must be careful not to ask questions in a way that encourges the child by mere suggestion to feel the symptoms. And of course a number of the symptoms may indicate something other than panic attack, so that a parent may do well to call a doctor.
A child susceptible to panic attacks or other anxiety disorder may otherwise show signs of a heightened state of anxiety or depression--in other words, warning signs of trouble such as:
Strong desire to avoid normal activities like school or extracurricular activities
A new, otherwise inexplicable pattern of headaches or stomach aches
A series of nightmares or difficulty getting to sleep or oversleeping (while not in a growth spurt)
Decreasing desires for formerly enjoyed activities or food
Inappropriate anger
A change to emotional withdrawal
Unusual trouble concentrating
Note especially any downhill changes in behavior patterns.
II. On causes of panic attacks in children
What influences the onset of panic attacks in children may hint at possible remedies. Sometimes a child will propose a perceived cause, but often like adults, children neither understand the nature of the terror that befalls them nor the reasons. Or they don't know how to put their experience into words. A loving parent or guardian is usually vital at early discovery.
Some possible causal examples follow. Is the child afraid of a bully, a sibling, an estranged parent or grandparent? Does the child fear that a parent or secure environment will be lost? If a new baby was recently born, does the child fear loss of parental affection? Have parents argued with each other heatedly in the hearing of the child, perhaps causing fear of loss ... or misplaced guilt? Even in the womb, children can learn fear when a mother feels stressed.
Is the child's schedule too demanding and stressful? Is the child required to go to bed regularly at an age-appropriate time of night? Are there environmental toxins in the home or neighborhood to which the child may be reacting? What about a reaction to a drug? Does the child react strongly to caffeine or have too much sugar in the diet? Is the child's lifestyle too sedenatary? Does the child have asthma?
III. Remedying panic attacks in children
When a child has panic attacks, the natural reaction of loving parents may be to comfort, sympathize with, and reassure the child. While the child's sense of security is important, comfort may also serve to reward expressions of anxiety and foster unhealthy avoidance behaviors in the child. Long term, parental comfort can encourage panic behavior.
This does not mean the parent should be emotionally detached. Nor does it mean the parent should encourage the child to engage in reckless disregard of real danger. But fostering avoidance behavior does not help a child overcome irrational fears or stop panic attacks. Facing fear is rather one of the more effective techniques at curing panic attacks.
No one likes to face one's fears. Nor is it ever easy. And children are more vulnerable than adults at least insofar as their brain's mental and moral abilities are not as developed as adults', depending on the child's age and developmental stage. A parent or counselor needs to guide the child from his or her individual and developmental point of view. The parent/counselor's calm and confident demeanor can encourage the child. The child needs both a gentle approach and one that holds the child appropriately accountable to facing life.
There are also pharmaceutical drugs which can be used if necessary and prescribed by a physician or psychiatrist. However, risk of negative side effects especially in young children may be greater than in adults or older children. The same may be true of calming herbs or amino acids. Homeopathic remedies such as Rescue Remedy Kids may generally be safer.
A simple, safe supplement to panic attack treatments, however, is exercising the feeling of thankfulness. An anxious child can not only be distracted from anxiety, but more importantly when his or her attention is focused on sincerely felt gratitude, the new feeling has a way of calming the mind. The feeling must be genuine to the child, and the exercise not a mere mimicry of adult direction.
Treating children for panic and anxiety depends on individual circumstances, personality, developmental stage, and principles generally applicable for stopping panic. Panic attacks are quite treatable, and there is good hope with the right remedies any given child may be cured.
