Anxiety / panic attacks help !!

My son started having panic attacks at primary school age. I told him that I get them too and explained what they are. I showed him books and articles and we looked them up on the web. Once he understood the biological logic behind them they stopped being such a big scary monster and he could look at them rationally. Of most help to us were peoples "real life" accounts - text books and GPs can be a little too clinical. It worked for us, he still gets them sometimes but he'll come to me and say he's getting that "wierd feeling", we can have a chat about it and mainly it gets sorted. CAMHS  recommended medication for this and for his autism - with hindsight I am happy to say that we declined this. Funnily enough, after putting panic attacks into perspective for my son, my own all but disappeared! 

Hi,

I have a 12 yr old who has panic attacks, and such severe anxieties that he attempted suicide and became clinically depressed.  He has just started on SERTRALINE ( I had to see a private psychiatrist who specializes in ASD, Ocd, mood disroders and children)., as it was going to take 6monthe to see someone on the NHS.  Long story short.  My boy went back to school today, after one very very quick panic attack, that lasted 5 minutes as opposed to the one that meant he missed most of the first week after Christmas, as he was too anxious to go back.

He is also having CBT alongside the tablets , to help him to be comfortable in his own skin.    I have over the last few days been treated to a lovely happy sunny boy.  I am not saying that this is the answer I am just saying that it helped for us.  I would definitely go to the Gp and ask to be referred to CAMHS and a psychiatrist.  Let us know how you get on

Such changes as happen around 13 will be discussed no doubt by peers, possibly little of it accurate.

An NT child is more likely to be a free participant of the discussions and able to make judgements, in relation to parental advice and media, especially on line (but also comics, youth magazines) as to what is accurate or not.

A child on the spectrum may not be able to get the feedback from peers on anything like the same terms. Indeed they may find it fun giving the aspie kid all kinds of horror stories.

Obviously I'm speculating - might be nothing of the sort happening. But a child of that age having panic attacks may be anticipating things that have been "fed" to him by peers.

And he may not feel able to discuss these things with parents. Hence not able to give you any reasons. With no ready source of reassurance or corroberation all kinds of interpretations of hormonal change may be going through his head.

Might be useful to ensure he is informed, possibly a reliable book, rather than the internet.

Presumably he has ASC, and often people with ASC have alexithymia, which is difficulty recognising or identifying emotions or reasons for them.  I would imagine it is school-related.  Perhaps you need to write a list of possibilities down on a piece of paper and ask him to read it and think whether it might be that.  E.g.

• noise
• busy environment
• social difficulties/isolation
• bullying/teasing/banter
• expectations of work/homework
• difficulty understanding instructions from teachers or peer comments...

He might be able to identify things with some help like this, and also you could keep a diary of when he has panic attacks and what was happening or what he was thinking of just before.  This will also be invaluable information for when you seek help from the GP/CAMHS.

I think you would be best to speak to your GP for advice and keep the school informed.  My daughter experienced quite a few panic attacks last year before she couldn't cope with the school anymore.  She's also 13 - I think teenage hormones must have a part to play even if it is a small one.