Causes of panic attacks in teenagers and how can parents treat them

Although the exact cause of panic disorder is not fully understood, studies have shown that a combination of factors, including biological and environmental, may be involved. These factors include:

- Family history. Panic disorder has been shown to sometimes run in families. It may sometimes be passed on to people by one or both parents much like the risk for other complex diseases such as cancer or heart disease.

- Abnormalities in the brain. Panic disorder may be caused by problems in regulating brain areas that control the "fight or flight" response.

- Substance abuse. Abuse of drugs and alcohol can contribute to panic disorder.

- Major life stress. Stressful events and major life transitions, such as the death of a loved one, can sometimes trigger panic attacks, which can potentially recur and go on to become panic disorder.

The main aim in treating panic disorder is to reduce the number of panic attacks and ease the severity of symptoms. Psychological therapy and medication are the two main types of treatment for panic disorder.

Depending on your individual circumstances, you may need one of these treatment types or a combination of the two.

If you're offered psychological therapy, it will probably be in the form of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). If this doesn't work, medication may be recommended.

Before starting any form of treatment, your doctor will discuss all of the options with you, outlining the advantages of each type and making you aware of any possible risks or side effects.

Hey Hannah,

How old is Carla? Maybe her parents can take her to talk to a psychologist if they don't know the exact cause of her panic attacks. Something must have caused these panic attacks, and psychologists are the best to help in these kind of situations, as long as Carla is ready to talk to one of them. They are specialized in working with teenagers since they are their most common patients. I think that this might be the best option for her but as long as she wants to talk to one of them. Maybe you can persuade her somehow if she doesn't want to do it.

Parents aren't really the ones who can treat their children's panic attacks Hannah, it requires professional if they can even be treated (this depends on the child's will to fight this and his or her ability to overcome these panic attacks).

What they need to do is to take this girl to the doctor and let the doctor determine what to do next. He is probably going to tell you that the best thing would be for her to talk to a psychologist, at least that is the best thing to do in order to start the treatment, the next steps should be determined by the psychologist.

Deni is somewhat right, professional help is what you should search for if your teen is having panic attacks. There are people who are specially trained for dealing with people suffering from panic attacks. They should be the first step towards starting the treatment, however, there is something that parents can actually do at home.

The one thing (the only thing, I think) that the parents can do is that they can talk to their teen about panic attacks. They can find info on the internet and then explain to their teen what exactly are panic attacks, why do they occur, etc.

Well, think about it, teenagers don't usually work, so what do they do? They hang out with their friends and they study. So what can be the cause of their panic attacks? Probably love problems (biggest problems of them all) and the society they are in, in other words, other students and people who they hang out with or who they want to hang out with. A lot of teens are unaccepted in the company that they want to be in and that hurts them, you know, and it can contribute to the development of anxiety, depression, or these panic attacks as well.

Hey.

I don't know what to tell you about this issue. I am pretty sure that nothing has changed and maybe my sister is a little bit overreacted, but I understand her. She couldn't have kids and now this is a big problem for her. Carla is 13 years old now, almost 14 and she never had this kind of the behavior. Never. 

She was OK, but one day she came scared from her school and since that day she is having those panic attacks. In the school is everything OK, at least teachers told us this. 

Now, what to do? 

The same problem I had with my daughter. I would suggest physiological therapy because it helped me and my daughter as well. Psychotherapy or “talk therapy” (some people love to say that this is talk therapy) works by helping your brain better control your thoughts and emotions. And when you think about this, it is very simple. The type of psychotherapy that has been found to be most effective for treating Panic Disorder in teenagers is Cognitive Behavior Therapy and this helps people learn how to overcome their fears. It includes several components, but I am pretty sure that your doctor will meet you with those components.

Good day.

Ugly situation.

If your teen kid is having a panic attack, it is probably safest for you not to try to restrain the child or to stop them from leaving the classroom. So you should really talk to the teacher of this girl. It is very important to find the cause of this panic attacks and than you can find the best treatment. 

Look, I don't want to say something silly but kids in that age want some attention occasionally. So it can be that this girl is just pretend to have panic attacks. The same thing happened with girl from my neighborhood and nothing was wrong with her.