Treating A Panic Attack In Children
Panic attack in children often looks different than in adults, because children tend to report the physical symptoms accompanying panic attacks rather than the psychological symptoms.
Anxiety and panic usually arises through something happening within the child’s life. Sometimes it may be a life experience, school and other times it may be such as a death in the family or parents separation.
A Panic attack in children can be easily treated by knowing and identifying the root cause. Here are some methods that can help treat panic attacks in children:
Psychological Treatments:
1. psychotherapy is recommended as the first treatment for children with panic disorder. Children with panic disorder may carry a sense of failure, as if the illness was their fault. Psychotherapy can help reduce the anxiety symptoms, and can help children to become aware of and address their feelings of failure.
2. Cognitive Behavior Therapy – This method helps teaching children new skills to reduce anxiety that can lead to panic attacks. In CBT, the child is helped to become aware of negative thoughts, feelings or reactions. The clinician guides the child to think of new, more positive alternatives thoughts, and teaches them techniques for anticipating and preventing the emergence of panic attacks.
Treatment at Home
- Listen to your child’s feelings. This is one of the most powerful treatments for your child’s anxiety. Simply be there for him, and listen. Don’t judge him. Or try to tell him how to act. Just listen, and let him feel that you are there for him.
- Teach your child simple relaxation techniques. Teach him how to do deep breathing, how to count to 10 when he encounters an attack. These are simple but powerful methods.
- Praise your child every time he makes an effort to deal with his anxiety. Every little effort that he makes is worth your praising. That would help him tremendously to eliminate panic attacks.
These are just some tips and techniques that help stop a panic attack in children. There are self-help methods that help treat panic attacks both in adults and children, and if you don’t want to take your child to therapy, you should consider them.
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