Panic Attacks

[Anxiousteen]

Posted this in Mental Health but no response. Can anyone help here. I'm desperate she's been at school today and had two already.

Please forgive me if I'm in the wrong place and can you point me in the right direction if I am?

My DD, who is 15, has started having panic attacks. It started around exam time and began with her flushing and becoming bright red. It then progressed to her having full on 'I can't breathe', tingling in her hands and feet and pounding heart. During the holidays she had a few during family get togethers and removed herself to a quiet room. If I make a fuss of her it makes it worse, so giving her a hug when she's shaking and sitting with her is a no-no. Ive told her this is new to me so if she tells me what not to do during an attack when she's not having one I will respect that although the hyper ventilation worries me and I do make sure she hasn't blacked out.

We've been to the Doctor and had her checked out(blood levels) recently so that side seems fine although she does have a cyst on her ovary which makes her period very painful at times. The Doc has said to wait for six months then they will re scan it and decide what to do.

The anxiety seems to linger and she is at the moment clearing out her cupboards and her rooms a bit of a mess, this is making her breathless and anxious but it would also make her anxious if she didn't do it.

Over the Summer we did some 'extreme' sport (don't want to out me or her) and as a family we were shitting bricks but she coped the best and didn't have an attack. In fact she was totally exhilarated and enjoyed it the most.

I dont understand this and both Dh and myself were very much brought up to 'pull yourself together and get on with it'. He believes thats what should happen with DD (he would NEVER say that to her and they don't discuss it) and honestly I am on the fence as I think this may have started as a trendy thing friends were doing at school. I think its gone beyond that now and she needs help and we are open to taking her to a councillor (she wants to go) i'm scared we make it worse but I also don't want her suffering unnecessarily.

Anyway, sorry for the long post and apologies if I have inadvertently said something offensive but I'm here asking for help and hopefully a better understanding. She's my youngest and a bright, funny articulate girl and she's struggling to understand whats happening and I am too.

[LastingLight]

Counselling, definitely. An anxiety disorder is an illness and can be treated.

[gingerhobo48]

Hi Anxiousteen, I think you are in the right place and will get some advice here.I have a 15 yr old DD who is also becoming very anxious about going out and being in school.I am worried that she might start having panic attacks but so far she has been ok.
I have had panic attacks in the past and they are truly awful.I had a friend who had them (I never experienced her having one, she just talked about them) and part of me(I'm ashamed to say), thought she was just attention seeking and she wasn't really having them. I guess I didn't believe in them, I certainly didn't understand them.
Then I had one and my word, it was the scariest thing ever, I had no idea what was happening.I was out and managed to get to a chemist where I knew and trusted the pharmacist.He saw straight away what it was and gave me a bag to breathe into.I thought I was having a heart attack and the effects from them do linger.They left me exhausted and very tearful.I have always been a little claustrophobic and that is what triggered my 1st attack.It sort of snowballed after that and I had quite a few more, at one stage I could just about travel on the underground , something I had been ok with before.It was having an impact on my work (I'm a teacher) and the thought of the little ones sitting by my feet on the carpet and being in a classroom(an enclosed space) freaked me out and I'd become all sweaty and hot and had to open all of the windows and drink water.For a time, I couldn't work.
Luckily it has passed, for me, the root cause was something to do with my appearance (I had awful teeth but was dental phobic) .Once I faced my fear, and it was a very real fear, it stopped.That is just my experience , I am still claustrophobic but I manage it.
If she can talk about how she feels, that will help I think and to understand what is happening to her body, physically.I read up on it as it terrified me, also being out and someone seeing me as it would come on so quickly.I remember once I started crying as I had a dental appointment.I had just dropped my son off at school and the crying turned into a panic attack.For me, like your daughter once I was having one I couldn't bear anyone near me.
I'm not sure if this has helped at all but I think seeing a counsellor may help her.My DD saw one on Friday at her school and she is being referred to CAMHS as her difficulties that she is experiencing are a bit more complex than the school can deal with.My DD feels better for seeing someone and she feels like she will get help now which she wants.

[Dolallytats]

Let her go for counselling. There are some great books available which might help her too. Don't let her avoid going out. I did this when I started having panic attacks and am now agoraphobic. This makes it much more difficult to deal with.

This is not a trendy thing she has copied from friends. It is very common to start getting them during exam time.

Panic attacks are very confusing for the sufferer and the people around them. They make no sense and can leave the person feeling scared, helpless and stupid.

Read about them so that you (and your DH) can get a greater understanding of what is happening when DD has one.....and whatever you do, don't tell her to pull herself together and get on with it!!

It can be treated and she can get over it, but it can take time and can be very 'one step forward and two steps back'.

[Anxiousteen]

Thanks, Ive got her a cancellation with a psychologist who specialises in anxiety disorders tomorrow so at least I feel like I'm helping her. She's desperate for an answer that I can't give her and it's horrible to admit I can't help her. Anyway, over the past few days I've come to the conclusion that if it's Coping strategies she is given and it does help then it's a great tool to deal with future pressures and probably one everyone should have.

[Loveleopardprint]

Hi, my DD is 15 and just started yr 10. She was anxious this time last year and stopped eating. This year she has started this awful retching cough and is then sick. She has been sick every morning for the last ten days. Sometimes before school and sometimes in school. By the time we get to school she is pale, shivering and breathing very heavily. She saw the school counsellor this week who has talked her through panic attacks and breathing exercises.
I just feel useless as she cannot tell me why she feels like this. I want to make it all better but I cant. Sorry no real point to this post except that I totally empathise and wonder if we can keep updating things we have tried to help?