My husband and I are fighting for custody of my step-daughter. It is a very ugly fight, and since we do not have her, we can't protect her from it. Anyway, we just found out that she has regular "panic-attacks" that she has to leave school for, sometimes going to the ER. These started last year. She is now in court ordered counsiling, but we don't know if the counsilor has been told about these attacks. Anyone have any experience with this in a child so young? We know she has gone through some bad mental abuse, and at this piont, believe sexual abuse is also occurring, but not sure. Would that bring on the attacks?
2006-09-26 03:43:38 · 6 answers · asked by jenn_a 5 in Health ➔ Mental Health
sister_d: So far all we have heard is that the attacks have to be caused by truama in a child that young, and they started before the custody battle did. Thank you for letting me know that sometimes that is not the case! We have just started to find out some stuff that has been going on, and we are so worried about her(plus the guilt for assuming that she was better off staying there) It is good to know that it may not be a sign of something horrible happening!
2006-09-26 05:07:36 · update #1
I started having panic attacks at that age, and my parents were not divorced, nor was I ever sexually abused. Sometimes these things just happen naturally. Please don't assume the worst, even if it is the case here. I hope not for her sake.
I wasn't even diagnosed with mine until I was 23, so at least she has you and her father aware of her condition at a younger age. I guess I have already answered your question, but if she's having these attacks at school, it's not likely that she's being sexually abused there, is it? They start and begin in her mind, and can be triggered by all sorts of things. A gesture, a tone of voice, a smell...I'm so sorry that one more person in this world has to live with this.
2006-09-26 03:54:11 · answer #1 · answered by Sister Di 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Anybody can have panic attacks, even a child. They are brought on by stress. Put yourself in her shoes. Imagine if you were being mentally abused, etc, and now there is a even more stress because their is a custody court case which will determine who you live with and where. You have no say on what is going on in your life and all these people are making life changing decisions for you. Kids do not always know how to talk about how they feel. We may think they do but it is through their teenage years that they begin to label those feelings and learn how to deal with them constructively. Healthy adults would have a hard time dealing with all the above stuff, imagine how a child might feel. Some doctors are able to prescribe a anti-anxiety medication but they try hard to help through therapy. If she is going through court ordered therapy, your husband, being her father, should be able to let the therapist know. The therapist probably cannot discuss her sessions, but he is able to hear information regarding her. Good Luck.
2006-09-26 03:54:00 · answer #2 · answered by bellamonster 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dr David Burns, author of the leading book on depression treatment: "The Feeling Good Book,"
just this year published "Panic Attacks."
http://www.feelinggood.com
2006-09-26 03:48:24 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Stress is the trigger and under the circumstances, she's by no means too young to be experiencing them. If the counselor doesn't know and you know who the counselor is, you could always contact the counselor yourself and even go to that same counselor so that they get your side of the situation and even help you with the process.
2006-09-26 03:49:03 · answer #4 · answered by OOO! I know! I know! 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Abuse would cause an anxiety disorder, of which anxiety attacks could be a symptom. It is not unheard of in kids that age.
2006-09-26 03:46:59 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
im very sorry but y dont u see a doctor im 11 to but i dont have panic attacks
2006-09-26 04:17:56 · answer #6 · answered by kapibara_n 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋