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Can children have panic attacks?

10 replies

BTino · 29/09/2010 09:59

My 10 year old daughter has always been a bit sensitive. She gets this thing when she's ill where she panics and thinks she's going to faint. She's done it a couple of times in public and she has been ill a few hours later.

She also does it when she's very scared. She panics, screams that she's going to faint, goes very very white, very shaky and has the most appauling bad breath.

Two weeks ago she had one of these incidents in school. There was no reason for it, she was playing with friends when she felt her legs go from under her, she said she felt as though she'd just come off a merrygoround. Teachers said she was very very white, shaky and her hands were cold and clammy. I went to pick her up, but a couple of hours later she was absolutely fine.

Last night she disappeared for a while, then came in to say she'd had another one. She had sat down on her bed and breathed as I had told her to do. But now the whole thing has frightened her and she admits that she is worried about it all the time now and doesn't want to do any physical activity in case she faints.

I'm wondering if they are due to anxiety or should I make an appt with the doctors? Could it just be a sign of growing up?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
BTino · 29/09/2010 10:16

No then.

OP posts:
Hangingbellyofbabylon · 29/09/2010 10:22

yes. my panic attacks started at a very young age although not diagnosed till adulthood. I would recommend this site no more panic - the forum is good. Also would recomend seeing the GP and also hynotherapy. sorry this is rushed, on my way out just now.

SweetBeadieRussell · 29/09/2010 10:26

sorry, i know what it's like when you're worried and no-one posts.

In all honesty, i couldn't say whether this is a panic attack or has an underlying physical cause (low blood sugar for example). I was very similar at this age and I did go on to have panic attacks as an adult (that's not to say she will, mind you).

Definitely take her to the doctor asap and get it investigated - it could well be down to her age, as 10 is quite a common age for hormonal stuff to start these days.

If it does turn out to be panic attacks i have a very good book which helped me immensely as a teenager; it's sort of comic book style so suitable for a 10 yr old. It's called 'Your Survival Guide to Panic Attacks' by Bev Aisbett, and you should be able to find it on Amazon. If not, get in touch and i'll send you my dog eared copy.

BTino · 29/09/2010 10:30

Ok thanks. I didn't want to put a label on it and give it a name in case she then thought "well this is what I have so I'll behave accordingly". I'd much rather have her think it's just growing pains than something she needs to deal with throughout life.

I have given her tips on how to cope with them, but am hesistating in doing anything else just in case, by drawing attention to it, I am making it worse.

I guess a doctor could rule out low blood sugar and anameia. If there is no physical cause then I suppose it has to be psychological and I'm not sure of the best way to handle that.

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Huskyflodynamo · 29/09/2010 10:31

You need to take her to gp. She might be diabetic. Does her breath smell of pear drops?

BTino · 29/09/2010 10:39

Well there's no family history of diabetise and she's far from overweight. I wouldn't say her breath smelt of pear drops, it just smells really bad.

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SweetBeadieRussell · 29/09/2010 10:52

Husky has a point, i nearly said as much i n my post as an afterthought, the fact you notice a change in her breath at all could well be significant, even if the smell is atypical.

BTino · 29/09/2010 10:56

Hmm, I did wonder about that as that smell didn't seem to be psychological.

I may just get it checked out. Seeing the doc may also give her peace of mind that there is nothing wrong. If it is panic attacks then getting her a clean bill of health may well stop one cause of worry at least.

I seem to be always in the doctors these days!

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Huskyflodynamo · 29/09/2010 10:58

It doesn't matter if she is overweight or not. Also the majority of children with type 1 diabetes don't have any family history of it.

Not trying to scare you op, but I think she should be checked just to rule it out.

Huskyflodynamo · 29/09/2010 11:00

Sorry x post!

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