Treatment for Panic Attacks in Teens

Anxiety is a natural response to danger, but teen panic attacks that occur regularly and without warning could be symptoms of an adolescent panic disorder. Your teen doesn’t have to live in constant fear of their next panic attack. Our treatment for panic disorder addresses the underlying causes of this condition.

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Table of Contents

What Is a Panic Attack?

Experiencing a panic attack can be an incredibly frightening experience for an adolescent. A panic attack can occur seemingly out of nowhere, with no clear or present danger, leaving the teen feeling helpless and out of control. The physical symptoms kick in quickly: The chest tightens, it becomes difficult to breathe, and they begin to shake and sweat.

Panic disorder is a common mental health condition characterized by unexpected and recurrent panic attacks, followed by an intense fear of when the next panic attack will occur. According to DSM-5 criteria for panic disorder, at least one panic attack must be followed by a month or more of persistent concern over more panic attacks, leading to avoidance of school or work. Around 2 to 3 percent of Americans experience panic disorder in a given year, and females are twice as likely to have the disorder.

People with panic attacks can misinterpret their symptoms as more dangerous than they are. Panic attack symptoms can feel life threatening or mimic a heart attack. For this reason, people with panic disorder tend to seek immediate medical help, making it a costly mental health condition. In fact, panic disorder results in the highest number medical visits among all anxiety disorders.

Common Comorbid Anxiety Disorders

Panic disorder often overlaps with other anxiety disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). OCD is a condition in which an individual experiences uncontrollable thought patterns and practices repetitive behaviors. Panic disorder is common among people with social anxiety and those with agoraphobia, an intense fear of situations in which you cannot escape, such as a traveling by plane or using public transportation. In fact, 1 in 3 people with social phobia and 1 in 4 people with agoraphobia experience panic attacks.

Left untreated, panic disorder can negatively impact a teen’s daily life. Not every teen who experiences a panic attack will develop a full-blown panic disorder. However, without treatment, panic disorder can affect a teen’s quality of life and lead to challenges at work, school, or other social situations. Many teens don’t understand that what they are experiencing is real and that they don’t have to live this way. Panic disorder is highly treatable with the help of a mental health professional.

How Common is Panic Disorder in Teens?

Diagnostic interview data from the National Comorbidity Survey Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A) shows the lifetime prevalence of panic disorder among US adolescents ages 13–18. Findings from the interview reveal:

Around 2.3 percent of adolescents have panic disorder, and 2.3 percent have severe impairment
Female adolescents showed a higher prevalence of panic disorder: 2.6 percent of teen girls have panic disorder vs. 2 percent of teen boys
Overall, the highest prevalence of panic disorder was found in teens 17–18 years old, at 3.3 percent

Causes of Panic Disorder in Teens

Adolescents experience a series of complex and sophisticated changes, both physically and psychologically. As a result, the still-developing teen brain may be more vulnerable to anxiety disorders.

Panic disorder typically appears between the ages of 15 and 19. While the cause of panic disorder in teens is not fully known, researchers and mental health experts have found some genetic links. Studies have shown there is a 40 percent risk of developing panic disorder if a parent or sibling has been diagnosed with this disorder. Moreover, many teens with panic disorder have experienced past trauma or major stress, such as the death of a loved one.

Risk factors for anxiety disorders, which can coincide with or trigger panic disorders, include:

Family history of anxiety or other mental health disorders
Exposure to negative environmental factors or stressful events
Extreme shyness or nervousness as a child when exposed to new people, events, or situations

Panic disorder doesn’t just go away with time. Untreated, people with panic disorder can experience other comorbid mental health conditions, including severe depression. Teens with panic disorder are also at a higher risk of turning to drugs or alcohol. They may use substances as a way to cope with the debilitating effects of unexpected panic attacks and the distress of worrying about when the next attack will occur.

However, the good news is that panic disorder is highly responsive to treatment. With effective mental healthcare, teens can heal underlying causes and learn the tools and strategies to prevent panic attacks. Working with an adolescent psychiatrist, teens with panic disorder can begin to overcome the fears and anxiety that hold them back from living a thriving life.

Symptoms of a Teen Panic Attack

Teen panic attacks often come on quickly and unexpectedly, and can last for several minutes to over an hour before subsiding. Sometimes panic attacks come on without warning. At other times, certain situations or places can trigger the attack. Therefore, it is common for children or teens with panic disorder to avoid situations that they think might bring on an attack. Avoidance can lead teens to refuse to go to school, say no to social invitations, and avoid activities that put them in the spotlight.

Adolescents and teens with panic disorder can experience both physical and emotional symptoms.

Physical symptoms and sensations of a panic attack include:

Intense fear
Sense of losing control
Racing or pounding heartbeat
Dizziness or lightheadedness
Shortness of breath or a feeling of being smothered
Trembling or shaking
Pounding or racing heart
Sweating
Chills, trembling
Difficulty breathing
Weakness
Tingly or numb hands
Chest pain
Stomach cramps or nausea

People with panic disorder experience emotional symptoms including:

Overwhelming fear and/or sense of dread or doom
Nervousness, feeling anxious
A sense of unreality and numbness
Intense anxiety and fear
Feeling of being out of control
Fear of death or impending doom
Intense worry about a future panic attack and when it will happen
Avoidance of places where panic attacks have occurred
Need for a “safety person” when confronting situations or places that induce fear

Identifying Panic Disorder in Teens

If your teen is suffering with panic attacks, and avoiding situations because of the fear of the next panic attack, a teen mental health assessment is the next step.

Teens who experience regular panic attacks should undergo a thorough evaluation by a mental health professional to determine whether they meet the criteria for panic disorder. An assessment will include a physical exam as well as a psychological evaluation. A mental health provider may give your teen a blood test to help exclude any other conditions that could cause rapid heart rate and other symptoms experienced during a panic attack.

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How to Help Teens with Panic Attacks

If you believe your teen is suffering with panic attacks, you can help them cope with their anxiety using various strategies. Relaxation techniques, such as yoga, conscious breathing, and meditation can have a powerful positive impact on panic disorder symptoms. The breath is one of the most powerful tools to reduce symptoms of teen anxiety. Conscious, deep rhythmic breathing exercises can relax the nervous system and calm the fear of an impending panic attack or help ease the symptoms during the attack. A strategy as simple as inhaling through the nose for three seconds and holding the breath for two seconds before exhaling can be very effective.

Once the nervous system begins to calm, teens can try the 333 Rule, an effective grounding technique to overcome severe anxiety. Ask your teen to identify three things they can see, three things they can hear, and another three things they can touch or move. This practice gets them out of their head and brings them back in touch with their physical and environmental surroundings.

Treatment for Teen Panic Disorders at Newport Academy

Newport Academy specializes in treating severe teen anxiety disorders, including panic disorder. Our clinical team customizes a plan to address the physical, mental, emotional, relational, social, and educational well-being of each teen. A clinical assessment will determine your teen’s individualized plan, which will include various treatment modalities, psychiatric assessments and ongoing care, and medication management. Through individual therapy and group therapy, our expert clinicians work with teens and families to uncover the root cause of their panic attacks and provide therapeutic coping strategies to address their anxiety and panic attacks.

Based on each teen’s individual treatment plan for panic disorder, their treatment could include the following modalities:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT is an effective form of talk therapy and often the first-line form of psychotherapy for treating teens with panic disorder. During regular sessions, therapists utilize strategies that help retrain the brain and offer different ways of thinking, behaving, and reacting to situations that happen during or prior to a panic attack. CBT for panic disorder could combine several therapeutic components, including:

Relaxation
Breathing retraining
Cognitive restructuring
Interoceptive exposure
Exposure therapy

Through CBT sessions, teens can learn to counter the fear of the panic attack itself and the anxiety about future panic attacks.

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) Therapy

ERP is a CBT method that is used to treat severe anxiety disorders, including social anxiety, phobias, and OCD. This method supports teens to confront their fears and break the cycle of avoidance behavior. Our psychiatric team creates a safe environment to expose teens to the objects, situations, or activities that cause overwhelming fear and anxiety.

Exposure therapy is effective in helping teens by:

Decreasing their reactions to feared objects or situations
Weaken their association between feared objects, activities, or situations and bad outcomes
Showing them they are capable of confronting their fears and can manage the intense feelings of anxiety
Attach new, more realistic beliefs about feared objects, activities, or situations to become more comfortable and confident when they experience fear

Medication Management

A comprehensive assessment of your teen at intake will inform any medication recommendations for panic disorder. Treating panic attacks and panic disorder could combine a combination of psychotherapy and medication. Some medications have been successful in helping teens reduce anxiety and panic attacks, including antidepressant medications, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). Our clinical staff monitors patients’ progress throughout their treatment stay, including psychiatric evaluations, medication management, and psychoeducation.

Attachment-Based Family Therapy (ABFT)

Family involvement in adolescent treatment is a critical part of each teen’s treatment plan. ABFT helps restore trust and connection within the family. Hence, teens can turn to parents for support if they are suffering with symptoms of panic disorder, including extreme anxiety, unexpected and regular panic attacks, and intense fear of when and where the next attack will occur.

Experiential Therapies

All teen panic disorder treatment plans at Newport Academy include experiential therapy. Experiential activities like music, art, outdoor adventures, yoga, and Mixed Martial Arts help teens express their feelings and overcome negative emotions. We offer a wide array of experiential therapies, depending on location.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

ACT helps teens stop avoiding, denying, and struggling with their emotions. Instead, they learn to accept that their feelings are appropriate responses and shouldn’t prevent them from living their life. This type of therapy for panic disorder helps teens to be present and practice self-compassion. As a result, anxious thoughts become less disruptive.

Learn More About Treating Teen Panic Disorders

Our caring team of clinical experts is ready to help your teen overcome their anxiety and panic disorders using a wide range of modalities, including individual and family therapy, experiential therapy, or medication if warranted. Contact us today to get started.

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Our Team of Medical and Clinical Experts

At Newport Academy, teen panic disorder treatment is delivered by a team of experts with a range of clinical and medical expertise that is unparalleled in the behavioral health industry. Clients’ treatment teams include psychiatrists, family therapists, nurse practitioners, counselors, art therapists, music therapists, adventure therapists, registered dietitians, teachers and tutors, and more.

By combining their talents and areas of expertise—medical, psychiatric, clinical, experiential, and academic—our treatment teams create transformative care experiences with long-lasting impacts. In addition, every teen’s treatment plan is informed by research, including our own treatment outcomes studies, which show that our programming creates significant improvements in teen anxiety in a matter of weeks.

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Our Accreditations

Newport holds the Gold Seal of Approval® from The Joint Commission, the nation’s oldest and largest healthcare accrediting body, and is affiliated with a wide range of national organizations and certification bodies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can panic disorder be cured?

Teens with panic disorder respond well to treatment, including Exposure Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. When left undiagnosed and untreated, panic disorders can have a negative impact on teens’ daily lives and lead to unhealthy coping mechanisms.

Is it normal for a 13-year-old to have anxiety attacks?

It is normal for adolescents to experience feelings of anxiety at certain times. But when anxiety or panic attacks are recurring and occur for no apparent reason, it is a sign of something more serious. Panic disorder is a common and treatable disorder in adolescents and the symptoms shouldn’t be ignored.

What is the best treatment for panic disorder?

Psychotherapy, in particular Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, can help adolescents learn techniques and strategies to control anxiety and panic attacks. Many adolescents with panic disorder respond well to the combination of medication and psychotherapy. In addition, early treatment can prevent co-occurring issues commonly associated with panic disorder, such as agoraphobia, depression, and substance use disorder.

How do you calm a child’s panic attack?

If your child is experiencing a panic attack, reassure them that they are safe and that their symptoms are coming from their mental state and rapid breathing. In a calm voice, help them slow their breathing: Tell them to breathe in through their nose for three seconds and hold their breath for two seconds before exhaling. You can also help them shift their focus from the negative thoughts they are experiencing in the moment by encouraging them to think about something that makes them happy, like a favorite toy or pet. Or try the 333 strategy—identifying three things you see, three things you hear, and three things you can touch.

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