What is a Child Panic Attack?

A child panic attack can be a very serious and frightening matter, both for the child and for the parents. In this brief article, I will outline some of the facts around a child panic attack and decipher some clues as to what parents can do for their children in this frightening and confusing time. Children experience emotional issues such as panic and anxiety much differently than adults, so education is as important as anything when dealing with this situation.

Children and teenagers experience panic attacks and often develop fears of going places because of this. They fear that should they engage in an activity, a panic attack may occur and embarrass them. There are many different types of child panic attack disorders.

GAD – Generalized Anxiety Disorder

GAD is an anxiety disorder that is generally known by the patient experiencing excessive worrying about a series of events. These events can either be in the past, in the present, or in the future so the time has little to do with the amount of “logical worry” that is applied. Sometimes children or teens worry about past events, conversations they may have had, upcoming events, school, friends, family, functions or any other possibility. Typically a child experiencing GAD cannot control the amount of time spent worrying about such things.

The best way known to treat GAD is through relaxation techniques and therapy. Generally talking children out of their worrying can work wonders, but a trained mental health physician is usually the best prepared to encounter such a disorder. Children are taught to use positive self-talk instead of the discouraging words of worry and are taught to generate a dialogue with others to explore their feelings. This child panic attack disorder does not generally have a prescribed medication.

Separation Anxiety Disorder

Children may experience panic when they are separated from loved ones or comfortable situations that they are used to. This generally applies to younger children who are separated from parents. The threat of separation from a caregiver often results in anxiety and occurs in cases such as when the child is left with a babysitter on a parents’ evening out on the town.

The child may avoid activities that result in separation from its caregivers and may worry excessively about the caregiver when they are gone. Normally the therapy involved includes recognition of these emotions and a good dose of reality: that nothing wrong happens, etc. Children are also taught coping skills to deal with the separation, often through role playing.

What is an Anxiety Panic Attack?

An anxiety panic attack is characterized as a panic attack that is induced due to unnatural levels of anxiety.  This anxiety can be related to anything, the attacks are not just limited to major stressful events or concerns.  Anxiety over a party, a loved one, even anxiety over what clothes to wear can cause an anxiety panic attack.

One of the key features of an anxiety panic attack is the focus of the attack.  When a person experiences such panic, usually the panic has a central trigger.  For some people, who tend to experience chronic panic attacks, the trigger tends to be the same thing.  Agoraphobics, for instance, tend to have an anxiety panic attack anytime they travel beyond their safe distance, for some this can be just beyond their doorstep.

Triggers

For most people the trigger for an anxiety panic attack will vary with the situation.  At times of extreme stress panic can trigger as the body’s natural reaction to the high levels of stress.  This is known as the fight or flight reaction, and is widely accepted as the main reason behind any panic attack.  When a person experiences an extremely stressful, or traumatic, event the body will react.  A release of chemicals into a person’s system will cause an extreme reaction to the situation. 

An anxiety panic attack occurs when the chemicals are triggered by a reactive stressor.  There is no need for it, but the body assumes there is some danger it must react to, this is a panic attack. An anxiety panic attack can be marked by many key factors.  Overwhelming feelings of fear and hopelessness are all signs of an attack.  Other signs include increased heart rate, sweating, tingling in the extremities, headaches, nausea, extreme emotional fluctuations. 

Symptoms

The list could go on for quite some time, as symptoms tend to be a mixed bag when concerning panic. However, any panic sufferer will attest to the immense feeling of anxiety that accompanies an anxiety panic attack; as if there is nothing in the world that can help you, unfortunately it is one of the major common symptoms that mark an attack.

The good thing about an anxiety panic attack, if it can be said there is one, is that in most cases they can be controlled. Exercise, controlled breathing, healthy diet, relaxation techniques, even just someone to be there and listen, all of these can help control panics.  For many the key is to find what causes the panic and reduce the effect that factor has on their life.

Dealing with a Nocturnal Panic Attack

A Nocturnal panic attack tends to be one of the most frightening panic attacks a person can have. They interrupt sleep, and most of the time the panic sufferer wakes up mid-attack. Anyone who has ever experienced a nocturnal panic attack can vouch for how frightening the first time can be, and the confusion they experienced. It may very well be the worst type of panic attack someone can have.

Fortunately after the first attack and the awareness that usually occurs, most nocturnal panic attack sufferers can begin to find their options. A nocturnal panic attack tends to be triggered during certain events, or after certain actions.

For some this can be after eating disagreeable foods, or an attack might occur if a particularly stressful event happened before sleeping.  In most cases the reasons behind these attacks can be distinguished and the panic sufferer can begin to build towards a solution.

Prevention Works

As with any other type of attack, the best thing for a nocturnal panic attack is prevention.  Anyone who experiences frequent nocturnal panic attack episodes should begin to question their nightly regiment before they go to bed.  Ideally a person who experiences frequent nightly attacks should make it their goal to reduce the common causes of panic attacks.  Unfortunately, when it comes to panic attacks, almost anything can be the trigger.

This can mean all sorts of changes for a person.  Cutting out the nightly snacks, and eating earlier in the evening always helps.  Reducing any stress occurred during the evening hours is always very helpful.  Try not to discuss any important issues before bed; this can lead to unwanted stress before sleep, which could be causing the panic. If possible try to exercise before bed, or at least sometime in the evening; even a short walk can be helpful.

If the problem still persists, or just seems too frequent to be caused by just these issues, then it would definitely be wise to consult a doctor.  If you are a frequent panic attack sufferer then you probably already have a normal physician. Consult your doctor, an imbalance could be occurring that is causing these nocturnal panic attack episodes.  If you are taking medication for your panic attacks already then it may be time to switch medications.

Again consult your doctor, but in some cases certain medications have been known to increase a nocturnal panic attack while reducing daily ones.

I hope this small article has been of some help, peace and respect from Mr Pity helping those with pain to understand that your not alone.

Searching for a Sign of Anxiety Attack

Searching for a sign of anxiety attack can be like looking for a needle in a haystack only not quite as concrete. At least with the needle, once you’ve found it you know that it’s a needle; it feels like a needle, it looks like a needle, and it likely is a needle. With a sign of anxiety attack, it could just as likely be a symptom to a great misdiagnosed problem as it could be a sign of anxiety attack. Seeking good professional help is the most important key to solving this mystery.

Fear is your body’s natural reaction to a lot of outside stimuli. It is normal for the body to react in such a way as to become anxious or fearful because this often protected our ancestors from a lot of problems and harm. It is not normal, however, for our bodies to be overtaken with fear to the point that physical symptoms begin to arise because of it. When this happens, it is usually the sign of a larger problem.

There are many common types of anxiety: fear, panic, worry, dread, obsession, and compulsion are just a few. Clearly, anxiety comes in a variety of forms and is not only represented by fear. It is also quite common. Most people experience anxiety in some form, experiencing it before or after stressful situations like a traumatic event or an important meeting with the boss of your company. Other times the anxiety comes quickly and without warning and for no reason at all.

Anxiety can Affect your Relationships

An anxiety disorder is a more disabling feeling of anxiety that actually is constant and consuming. Anxiety disorder causes people to completely withdraw emotionally and often physically from their family and friends. It can cause people to withdraw indoors and avoid social activities for reasons involving fear. An anxiety attack, conversely, is an unexpected episode that usually involves fear as oppose to an overwhelming feeling.

A sign of anxiety attack can be anything from irregular heartbeats to chest pain. They also include: shaking, twitching, trembling, hot flashes, chills, “rubber legs”, tingling in extremities, difficulty sleeping, unpredictable sleeping patterns, body tension, aches and pains, sweating, clamminess, and stomach problems such as nausea or “butterflies”.

There are also emotional signs including: fearfulness, a feeling of terror, insecurity, incredible self-consciousness, irritability, apprehension, dread, a desire to escape, a feeling you are going to perish, and other frightening emotions.

Agoraphobia Panic Attack Information

Agoraphobia is generally considered an anxiety or panic disorder, commonly referred to as the fear of traveling. This fear can range from not being able to travel a few hours away from the home, all the way down to not being able to leave your home all together.  An agoraphobia panic attack is basically an attack that occurs when an agoraphobic attempts to go beyond their “safe” boundaries.

The problem with treating an agoraphobia panic attack is that the only real way to overcome the attack is for the person to attempt to push their limits. This is the reason why many agoraphobics tend to get worse before they get better. It is easy for an agoraphobic to ignore their problem, since all they have to do is not travel beyond their limits but unfortunately while being easy to ignore, agoraphobia also tends to be the most stifling of the symptoms that can arise from chronic panic disorder.

Begin With Baby Steps

The best thing an agoraphobic can do to stem their agoraphobia panic attacks, is to begin taking baby steps. Setting goals to overcome their attacks is the only way an agoraphobic will ever be able to finally master their fears. This process is best done with the help of family and friends, who can help you to make those steps all the while keeping the person assured of their relative safety.

It isn’t completely known what causes agoraphobic panic attacks, or why the panic attacks manifest in this form.  It is suspected that many agoraphobics already had the propensity for being afraid of travel, with many of them being the type that experienced motion sickness before they ever experience panic attacks.

The Unknown

An Agoraphobia panic attack is particularly frustrating to the sufferer themselves.  Mainly because the attack is even less rational then a standard panic attack. Why they experience a fear of traveling beyond a certain distance, or going to a certain place is unknown. But anyone of the numerous anxiety / panic disorders can take root and cause agoraphobia.

Social anxiety can lead to a fear of certain public places, especially grocery stores and other places that have a large gathering of people. On the other hand general panic disorder can cause the panic sufferer to become embarrassed of their own disorder, which leads to a fear of traveling outside and having a panic attack.  It just goes to show the difficulties that are had in identifying and dealing with an agoraphobia panic attack.

You Don’t Have to Suffer

On average, fourteen million Americans suffer from major panic attack and depression.  Three million Americans suffer from panic disorder.  It is very common for those with major depression to also have panic attacks and elevated anxiety levels.  Because panic can mimic other disorders, such as hypoglycemia, heart problems, asthma and many more serious conditions, sufferers who have not been diagnosed with panic disorder can feel afraid and tentative about their health. 

If you are having panic attacks, but are unaware, and are also suffering from depression, then the two can aggravate the other until proper treatment is realized.  As depression is another difficult illness to properly diagnose and treat, it is imperative to actively find treatment that works for you.

The Results of Panic Attack and Depression

People suffering from depression will feel bored, sad, hopeless, sluggish, alone and unloved.  They may suffer from insomnia, and will have elevated anxiety levels.  Because of this elevated anxiety, people with panic attack and depression will often experience panic attacks on a normal basis.  When someone has more than one panic attack, they can develop a phobia towards the situation, or a fear to return to a specific place.  Add in an already depressed view of the world, a worry that others find no worth in you, and you have a recipe for one miserable person. 

Health care professionals are learning that the instances of panic attack and depression coinciding together are more common that thought.  While not everyone who is depressed will have panic attacks, many people who suffer from panic may very well be depressed.  There are certain SSRI antidepressants on the market today that are specifically recommended for use in treating anxiety along with depression.

Many people who suffer from depression do not know it.  When someone who experiences panic attack and depressed has a panic attack, it can be very frightening.  Oftentimes, people in the middle of panic attacks feel like they are going to die, or that will lose their minds and “go crazy”.  This can prevent some from seeking treatment, as they do not understand what is happening to them, and fear the worse. 

When the panic attack is over and the sufferer feels normal again, they may not think anything of it until it happens again.  Many people who suffer from panic attacks do not realize that they are not alone.  A person who is experiencing panic attack and depression may feel especially overwhelmed and will aggravate the situation by worrying and inflating the scenario in their mind.  They may feel hopeless to the point where they cannot see how treatment would be effective.

Treatment for depression with panic attacks is available and very effective.  Through any combination of medication, cognitive-behavior therapy and relaxation techniques, sufferers can gain control of their lives back.  

My forthcoming book which will help you to free yourself from Stress and Anxiety is due to be available on sale on Amazon mid Jan 2012.