Panic Attacks

Panic Attacks

Children may find it difficult to describe their experiences, and may not know the reason behind their panic attacks.





Panic Attacks are:
Sudden rush of intense fear or discomfort
Physical symptoms
Peaks in 10 min

Check out this video about panic attacks featuring Grover from Sesame Street


Signs of a Panic Attack:
Afraid or upset with no apparent cause
Unable to identify cause of fear
Overestimating
Catastrophizing

Strategy:
Model realistic thinking


Case Study

Lucie’s Story
Lucie is a six-year-old girl who have been living with her grandmother. She often has violent temper tantrums "for no reason," and gets into fights with other kids at school. She has started wetting the bed. Lucie used to live with her mom, but about six months ago her mom and her mom's boyfriend got into a violent argument, and Lucie's mom was killed. Lucie was hiding under the bed at the time, and witnessed her mom's death. Her grandmother describes Lucie as sullen and withdrawn. She refuses to talk about what happened, but acts it out when playing dolls or drawing pictures. She has frequent nightmares about "monsters" chasing her. Lucie has no friends, does not want to play any sports or learn a hobby, and pleads everyday to stay at home from school.