Panic attacks can feel just like a heart attack. However you should know that it is extremely rare for a teen to have a heart attack, so if you have a teen that is describing symptoms that sound like a heart attack, you should consider what might be making them so anxious. What happened before these symptoms started?

Questions to consider:

1. Pattern. Is there a pattern? Do the symptoms always precede or follow a particular meeting, occasion, or time with a person?

2. Change. Is your teen generally anxious about a new class, a new job, and making new friends?

3. General worrying. Does your teen seem to worry about their health? Your health? Are they worried you might get hurt when you leave their sight? Do they seem worried all the time?

Anxiety is a feeling that can overwhelm the body and make people feel as though they are going to die.  Even when the situation seems trivial, their fear, their anxiety is real. This fear can be so debilitating that it prevents normal function.

Treatment for anxiety includes medication with the class of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). They are frequently used and successful with mood disorders. When added to talk therapy, SSRIs help develop better coping strategies so these teens function and manage if not overcome their anxiety.

Related posts:

1. Helping Teen Boys Seek Medical Care
2. What Your Teen’s Anxiety Tells You
3. Your Teen’s Doubt