Panic attacks in older children
Panic attacks are not 'all in the mind' and it would be a big mistake to write them off as such. They come on from nowhere and can involve one or more of the following symptoms: racing heartbeat, sweating, choking, a sense of disassociation, light-headedness, breathlessness and a conviction that death is imminent. Indeed, in extreme cases, the attacks have led to suicide according to child psychotherapist Peter Wilson, who has heard sufferers describing the experience of an attack as ' A horrible feeling, like staring over the abyss.'Attacks can happen any time of the day or night and can either pass off ten minutes later all by themselves or last for several hours and require medical intervention - as was the recent case of a 16-year old girl who was rushed to hospital for massage to her carotid artery when a panic attack took her heart rate up to 137 beats per minute.
Panic attacks are believed to be caused by surges of adrenaline released in reaction to stress - a throwback to the time when our forbears were faced with a 'fight' or 'flight' situation requiring an immediate physical response and so needed the adrenaline to supply an extra burst of energy. These days, our battles tend to be more psychological - and it is not always immediately apparent that they are going on at all. However successful, outgoing or accomplished your teenager appears on the outside, there could be a lot of churning and anxiety happening underneath, threatening to break through at any time. As Peter Wilson points out, 'Adolescence is a very scary time for some. They feel so out of control - their bodies are changing so fast.'
All parents can do is stay vigilant and be there to offer emotional and physical support as and when necessary. Further information is available from Peter Wilson who runs a charity called Young Minds, a charity working towards the greater understanding of adolescents.
