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Panic attacks are more common in teenagers than most people realize. Teenagers who have panic disorder are subject to panic attacks regularly. When such an attack occurs, the body goes into fight-or-flight mode. Even if there is no threat, it feels like the teenager is facing a life-threatening crisis.

If you are asking what panic attacks are, you are not alone. Did you know that over a third of the population experiences a panic attack at some point? However, a panic disorder, which is related to anxiety disorders, is different from a single panic attack. In contrast, teenagers with panic disorder often experience multiple attacks. Indeed, thoughts of the next attack fuel an anxiety disorder as the teen becomes overwhelmed with fears about the next possible occurrence.

Mental Health Support and Panic Disorder

As a provider of mental health services for teens and young people, Tarzana Treatment Centers understands how to diagnose and treat panic attacks in teenagers. To begin with, in teens, the following is known:

• The causes of panic disorder include trauma, stressful events, genetics, and family history. Panic disorder also can be caused by witnessing an adverse event.
• A panic disorder tends to interfere with a teenager’s daily functioning over time, preventing them from enjoying their everyday life, and causing problems in school and with family.
• Treatment addresses underlying issues behind the panic disorder, often providing behavioral tools and sometimes medication for coping with anxiety.

In most cases, there is no warning before a panic attack hits. A teenager might appear to be perfectly calm when overcome with fear. While a panic attack is not life-threatening, the experience is highly distressing and scary. In addition, such attacks are twice as common in females. Therefore, experts recommend that women be screened for anxiety disorders at age 13.

The Symptoms of Panic Attacks in Teenagers

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5), the symptoms of a panic attack can include the following:

• Chest pain, including heart palpitations or accelerated heart rate
• Excessive sweating and either chills or hot flashes
• Trembling and shaking uncontrollably
• Sensations of shortness of breath or choking
• Nausea or abdominal cramping, throwing up
• A sense of numbness or tingling in the extremities
• Lightheadedness and headaches, a painful dizziness

Although they last only a few minutes, these symptoms are terrifying when they happen. Thus, the adverse effects last much longer than the actual symptoms. These attacks often leave teenagers feeling overwhelmed and shaky for up to twenty-four hours or longer.

Over time, repeated attacks lead to additional mental health issues. Increased anxiety and depressive episodes are common reactions by young people. Without treatment, teens get worse before they get better. Fear of panic attacks leads to phobias and avoidance syndromes.

Tarzana Treatment Centers Helps Teens

The clinical team will detail ways to prevent and treat panic disorders in a future article. Our goal is to help parents help their teens. If you need help today, please do not hesitate to reach out to us today.