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Types >
Panic Disorder
Brief description:
A panic attack is a sudden rush of uncomfortable physical symptoms and
a feeling of imminent danger (doing something embarrassing such as fainting
or throwing up; having a heart attack, or not being able to breathe).
Unlike other anxiety subtypes, the first panic attack is not triggered
by any specific event, it occurs out of the blue. Following this, children
may fear and attempt to avoid the situation or setting where the first
panic attack occurred in order to prevent it from happening again.
Red flags
Treatment focus:
In treatment, children learn that a panic attack is a completely harmless
(though frightening) testing of the emergency response system in the
body. All the uncomfortable symptoms a child experiences can be explained
by specific actions of the sympathetic nervous system. Once the child
understands how panic occurs, he or she learns how to control worries
about the panic itself, as well as control the physical symptoms through
breathing techniques. Panic symptoms may be simulated through hyperventilation,
spinning in a chair, running up and down stairs, so that the child can
practice breathing techniques and constructive interpretation of the
physical sensations that these activities trigger. Once confident that
they can stop the panic spiral, the child next begins to approach the
situations (often open situations-church, supermarket, auditorium, movie
theater) which have been avoided due to fear of having a panic attack.
