11 Signs Of Panic Attacks In Children

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Do you have kids at your home? Have you ever felt why my kids are not like before? Do they regularly behave the same or start behaving differently? Do your kids ever go through panic attacks, crying loud , raising their heart beat, afraid of something always. This is the place where panic attacks are being placed in the hearts of children and disturbing their childhood life affecting them in future even.Let us know what actually and how , why they are?

panic attacks in children

In This Article:

What Are Panic Attacks? Panic Attacks in Children

Panic attacks are those attacks that create intense fear and anxiety  in humans suddenly sometimes with greater intensity and sometimes lesser.It totally depends on the the conditions of a human, in which situation there are? Sudden attack includes heartbeat rise, intense short breath, muscle tension, long term stress can also lead to these panic attacks. It does not conclude in a day or month. Once it gets triggered, it totally depends on the mental,physical, emotional strength of a human being. Today we can see a lot of people suffering from these panic attacks. Victims of panic attacks say that even when doctors say that we are all cured with it but still a kind of fear does not let us be in peace. 

Well , we all know how these panic attacks make us suffer mentally and emotionally. What about children? Toddlers?children below 12 years. It’s more complicated when it comes to the children. And you what, in the past children somewhere around they were attacked.but today in the current scenario, due to several reasons this has been in high ratio.

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Symptoms of Panic Attacks in Children

Before knowing the symptoms of children, we should know few things that children thought vary from each other, since all are not the same, they think differently on different circumstances, for instance, if an younger ones are being treated more in comfort zone, some children who are older than younger ones try to understand the scenario that they are younger and has to be pampered, but there are other side of children where they doesn;t like to be treated in that way, so they  drain their emotional strength and develop insecurity leading to the next few levels of anxiety and finally panic attacks.it might look funny when we see in the elder’s point of view but we can only understand their emotion when we start seeing in their point of view, there has been lot of scenarios like this where children due to fights between parents, or suddenly afraid of something or you name it any kind of reason which triggers the mind of a child can lead to drastic changes. 

11 Signs of Panic Attacks in Children Along With Some Other

  • Shaking or trembling
  • Sweating 
  • Shortness of breath
  • Chest pain
  • A sense that something bad will happen
  • Rapid heart rate
  • Abdominal cramping
  • Nausea or faintness
  • Burning sensation in the facial or neck area
  • Numbness
  • Chills
  • A headache
  • Dizziness
  • Lightheadedness
  • Sensation of choking
  • Difficulty moving
  • Feeling of detachment

How Do They Feel During Panic Attacks?

Panic attack may be triggered or begin unexpectedly without warning and they may last from seconds to minutes to hours also.when a panic attack occurs a person facing it may think that they are dying, or a heart stroke, they lose control and go crazy sometimes.though they are not life threatening but still make the victims believe that they are going to die and it very frightening . As a result when people who have repeated panic attacks they end up in worrying about themselves and sometime create a havoc situations

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Causes:

There are several causes underlying panic attacks . Here are a few

  1. Genetics – a family history of panic attacks, there are evidences that there is tendency to have a panic attack
  2. Exposure to an object of phobia
  3. Medication withdrawal
  4. Major stress – major life stress such as death or various illness of loved one, 
  5. Certain changes in they way of brain function
  6. Traumatic stress – such as history of childhood physical or sexual abuse, serious accident

Risks and Complications of Children at Night

  1. Obsessive compulsive disorder
  2. Post-traumatic stress disorder
  3. Social anxiety disorder
  4. Wilson’s disease
  5. Labyrinthitis
  6. Postural orthostatic
  7. Hypoglycemia
  8. Hypothyroidism

Diagnosis

  1. Several tests will be performed to see if your symptoms are not caused by other conditions with similar symptoms of panic attack such as heart or thyroid problem.
  2. Blood test to check your thyroid functions and other possible conditions 
  3. ECG – electrocardiogram to check heart functions
  4. A mental evaluation to talk about your symptoms, fears, stressful situation, and family history will also be carried out

Treatment

Treatment options can help to reduce the frequency and severity of attacks and improve function in daily life. Main treatment are psychotherapy and medications

Psychotherapy – it is effective to help you understand your condition and learn how to cope. The form of psychotherapy used in cognitive behavioral therapy where you learn that panic symptoms are not dangerous.

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Medication –  have been shown to be effective in managing and reducing symptoms, they include

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors(SSRIs) such as fluoxetine, paroxetine  and sertraline. All these medications have been approved  by the FDA for treating panic attack

Natural Remedy for Anxiety in Children

  1. Self awareness – learn about the things that trigger your anxiety.understand the underlying causes of your anxiety. Notice signs and symptoms you experience when you are feeling anxious.
  2. Anxiety coping skills categories – which includes relaxation skills, distractions skills, movement skills, thinking skills, self care,good health habits, grounding skills, creative outlets.
  3. Physical activity which raises heart beat and releases dopamine.
  4. Exercises and meditation at home to relax and boost up your mind.

In conclusion when children have their first panic attacks the moment you gotta know you have to start assessing your kids  in the way they are. It is the duty of all the parents when they are not in the right way like playing like other kids, not sleeping at nights, not indulging in fun activities, giving up everything, they should be given enough support, understanding, and also the time to be spent with them. Relax their thought process by making them come out of the digital world  and indulge in physical activities. Kids during homeschooling can be more benefited at these stages.

Sources:

  • healthline.com
  • UNICEF
  • Childmind.org
  • JJ medicine
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