How Parents Can Deal with Panic Attacks in Children

Panic attacks in children are scarier than those experienced by adults. For one, kids are yet to develop self-control to calm themselves do...

Panic attacks in children are scarier than those experienced by adults. For one, kids are yet to develop self-control to calm themselves down when the attacks occur. Their limited knowledge about the condition may also inflict trauma and phobia that further cause attacks.

Panic attacks among kids are not dangerous. However, when the condition is left unrecognized and untreated, children may suffer devastating complications that can interfere with their relationships, education and brain development.

Children who experienced having the attacks have the tendency to constantly feel anxious and scared all the time even when they are not having the attacks. Some may even start avoiding situations that they feel would cause their condition especially when help is unavailable. As such, the kids may have the fear of going to school, being separated from their parents or leave the house.

As a result, they develop agoraphobia.


Kids Cannot Always Tell

Panic disorder among children is one of the hardest conditions to diagnose. Thus, parents may need the assistance of a good physician who can conduct a series of medical tests. These are potentially painful, not to mention expensive. Nevertheless, parents can rest assured that the panic attacks of their kids are duly evaluated so treatment suggestions can be laid out.

A cheaper and more effective alternative is to actually talk to the kids about their experiences. Children normally cannot come up with words that can sufficiently describe what is happening. Parents should, therefore, make their kids feel comfortable in showing how frightened they really are. The challenge is to eliminate the embarrassment, fear, and reluctance of the kids to have them open up.

On top of these, parents should also knowledgeable on the different symptoms of panic attacks in children.

How Panic Disorder of Kids Manifest

When a child’s lifestyle becomes restricted as he starts avoiding numerous daily activities, it may be high time to raise the red flag and note the occurrence of the following symptoms:

• Palpitations or fast heart rate
• Chest pains
• Choking sensation
• Breathing Difficulties
• Profuse sweating
• Uncontrollable shaking of the body
• Stomach upset
• Sudden drops or spikes in body temperature
• Hot or cold flushes
• Dizziness

These top ten signs are mostly observable on the parents’ behalf. While not all children are comfortable in telling their parents about the occurrence of their attacks, their guardians should be keen in observing these symptoms.

Helping the Child Out

Cognitive behavioral treatment is not as effective among children. Rather, experts suggest that panic disorder in children can be approached with treatments bearing several components. Kids can be taught with ways to identify and alter their thought patterns that perpetuate their fears. Good psychiatrists can teach them strategies to identify the things sets off the feeling of panic and change their thoughts to make them feel braver.

In layman’s term, this is referred to as “healthy thinking” patterns.

Kids who experience attacks when going to school, for example, can be taught to think about their friends and playmates who are waiting for them to come back.

Counseling may also help the kids and their parents understand that the panic attacks in children can be attributed to their environment and not by their flawed personality.

ALSO READ: https://coorms.blogspot.com/2019/01/easy-steps-in-managing-anxiety.html