If Your Child's Having Panic Attacks, This 'Turbulence' Analogy Might Help

Panic attacks are terrifying at the best of times, so you can imagine just how afraid a child might feel when they experience them. Recently, a parent took to Reddit to explain their nine-year-old daughter was having regular attacks. They said their daughter had “always been an anxious type of kid” but it had got to the point where she was having panic attacks daily.“Some come and go quickly, others linger on for longer, but she is scared of anything happening to her and her health,” said the parent.“She’s gotten to the age where she is aware of death and it’s affected her in such a negative way. We don’t watch scary anything and try to navigate away from movies and things with heavy situations, but it’s still happening to her.”Panic disorder, which is more common in teens but can happen to younger children, is characterised by “recurrent, unexpected panic attacks and persistent concern and worry about having another attack”.According to the American Psychological Association, “these reactions can occur unexpectedly with no obvious trigger, or they may be expected, for example, in response to a feared object or situation”.The overwhelming advice from others was that a child should be seeing a therapist if they’re experiencing these attacks daily, and a doctor too, as one commenter said: “Many medical conditions can mimic anxiety.”Symptoms of panic attacks in childrenAnxiety is the most common referral reason for mental health treatment among children. In a recent survey of over 2,000 parents of children aged 4-17, over a quarter (30%) said their child had struggled with anxiety or panic attacks in the past 12 months.Symptoms of panic attacks – which can last anywhere between five minutes to an hour – include a racing heart, sweating, nausea, trembling, dizziness, a dry mouth, churning stomach, tingling hands and shortness of breath. “Essentially the physical experiences of having a panic attack are the same for both adults and children,” Counselling Directory member Annabelle Hird told HuffPost UK.“Both adults and children will likely experience the shortness of breath and the racing heart, but a child may respond differently to these feelings.”She said while an adult might be more capable of understanding and explaining their experience, a child having a panic attack, especially for the first time, “will likely be very visibly distressed”.As a result, they might lash out and express anger, which the counsellor noted can make it hard to support them. This can prompt “a whole heap of shame once they have recovered unless handled with sensitivity”, she added.How to explain panic attacks to kidsIf you suspect your child has had a panic attack, you might want to explain what’s happened to them – in this instance, Hird advises to keep it simple. “I explain that the body and the brain are always communicating with each other, for example, sometimes when we are really nervous or excited we might get a fluttery feeling in our tummy or feel a little sick,” she said.“When we are really worried or stressed about something, our bodies might react physically causing our hearts to race, or us to feel dizzy, or find it hard to breathe. It can be pretty scary, but we are safe and it will pass.”She added: “I like to look at panic attacks as a message from our bodies telling us something is wrong and giving us the opportunity to make whatever it is better.”How to support a child having a panic attackIt can be hard for parents to watch as their child goes through something so distressing. Hird has a turbulence analogy, which she believes can help guide caregivers through the experience.She explained: “Whenever I am supporting someone in distress I keep in mind flight attendants. I am not a very good flyer, but whenever we are travelling through turbulence and I feel afraid, I sneak a peek at the cabin crew.“My theory is that anyone working for the airline has a far better idea than I do as to whether we are in danger – and so if I see calm flight attendants, I know I don’t need to worry.”In a similar vein, she said the job of an adult supporting a child through the “turbulence” of a panic attack is to remember that everyone is safe and to keep calm.“It can be very easy to be drawn into the panic but if you can remain grounded and regulated, the child will feel a lot safer,” she explained. Other strategies that might help include:Giving the child space.Taking them outside.Splashing cool water on pulse points.Practising exercises to reconnect them with their senses – these breathing exercises might help.Naming five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell and one thing you can taste.Doing something physical like jumping up and down or jogging on the spot, and focusing on breathing while you do it (as Childline recommends).Saying out loud: “It will pass. This is just anxiety. Anxiety can’t harm me. I am in control.” You could even say it together. Hird concluded: “But honestly the most supportive thing you can do is not panic, remind the child that they are safe, that you will stay with them and that it will pass.” If your child has more than one panic attack, it might help to keep a diary of what happens and which strategies help them feel better. For children experiencing feelings of anxiety and panic regularly, often for no apparent reason, the NHS advises seeing a GP. The health body notes that without medical help, panic disorder can escalate and become difficult to cope with.Help and support:Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393.Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI - this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill).CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) offer a helpline open 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year, on 0800 58 58 58, and a webchat service.The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email [email protected] Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0808 801 0525 (Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on rethink.org.Related...Black Maternal Health Can't Wait Any Longer – Here's What Needs To ChangeRunning Got Me Out Of The Worst Mental Health Dip Of My Life – Here's How I Started From ZeroI Believed My Baby Was Going To Die – Now I Want To Help Parents With Allergy Anxiety

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