What causes panic symptoms in children and how to deal with them

Many parents think that their children's panic symptoms, such as anxiety, dizziness, nausea, and chest tightness, are caused by certain diseases. But in fact, these symptoms may be caused by psychological stress, which will cause emotional and behavioral problems in children, so you may need to take your child to see a doctor.

Causes of panic in children

Genetic factors: For some children, panic attacks run in their family. If one parent has depression, anxiety, or panic attacks, the child is at a higher risk of developing these problems.

Caused by severe stress: Stress is sometimes one of the root causes of panic in children. Sometimes due to educational pressure or social environment, children may feel stressed, and then they become victims of childhood panic disorder.

Because of negative emotions: Sudden negative emotions, such as fear of loss or lack of confidence, may cause children to have unbalanced personalities, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and other negative emotions. In addition, major events or stress in life may also cause panic in young children.

Certain medical conditions: If your child has asthma or a heart disease, the medicines they take, such as steroids and asthma inhalers, can cause anxiety and panic attacks as side effects.

Panic symptoms in young children: Panic attacks often have some physical and emotional symptoms, including shortness of breath, dizziness, fear of dying and losing control, desire to escape, nausea and chills, stomach discomfort, palpitations, numbness and tingling, and chest pain.

How to deal with panic attacks in children

Scary symptoms: If your child has scary symptoms, such as chest pain, palpitations, difficulty breathing, etc., you'd better take him to the doctor immediately and seek treatment and help from a professional doctor.

Severe mental stress: If panic attacks are already occurring in your child's life and he is living with severe fear or mental stress, you might want to take him to see a psychologist.

Behavioral problems: When panic attacks appear in children’s lives, they may develop behavioral or psychological problems such as depression, self-harm, sleep disorders, inattention, poor school performance, etc.

Experiencing a terrible accident: When your child has experienced a very terrible stage in his life, such as abuse or a catastrophic accident, it is best to take him to a doctor for examination and treatment to prevent other problems from occurring.

Can be successfully treated: Fortunately, persistent panic attacks in children can be treated through regular counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy, and relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, and light exercise.

How to Prevent Panics in Children

Parents should adopt an educational method that is scientific, factual, and reasonable, and should never scare their children by turning off the lights or telling ghost stories.

Children should not watch scary TV programs, especially those who are timid and sensitive.

Parents should encourage their children to participate in more group activities and pay attention to enriching their knowledge. They can also use games to let them gradually approach the actions they are afraid of in order to cultivate their courage.

Parents should guide children to effectively adapt to various stressful situations and events, and consciously enhance children's ability to respond.