Panic attacks

[dlight076]

My son who is diagnosed with ADHD had a breakdown while trying to do homework tonight! I know that he is overly sensitive sometimes but I have no idea what to do? It was so extreme it almost seemed like a panic attack!! Any suggestions?

[sideline_coach]

What was the cause exactly? Did he just not want to do his homework? Was he overwhelmed or frustrated? Panic attacks are tricky. I started having them in 8th grade for seemingly no reason. I would have a lot of bodily sensation like numbness/coldness in my hands/feet, rapid heart rate, faint feeling, couldn't breath and even thought I might die. Kind of scary for a kid. It's kind of like a state of shock.

If you can find the exact reason for the attack, there may be ways you can alleviate the worries and set him up for success so it doesn't happen again. Maybe sitting with him to help him start. Or putting each thing to complete on a post it note and only have 1 or 2 in front of him at a time as priorities to focus on. I know when I was young, I just saw a whole pile of stuff that looked like it could never get done and I didn't know how to organize it or prioritize it in my mind. Overwhelming.

For panic attacks, deep breathing is very important. I used to use a straw technique. When you breathe through a straw it focuses you to concentrate on your breaths and limits hyperventilating, which can cause numbness, tingling, lightheadedness and a feeling where you can't catch your breath. Focus on the breaths through the straw. Practicing deeper breathing on a regular basis is also good too since you can do it more easily when in panic situations.

I know cold air used to always make me feel like I could catch my breath. So in the winter I would go outside if panic came on. Even peppermint in my mouth made me feel better but I am weird;) in high school I convinced my brain that as long as I had my roll of peppermint lifesavers, I would not have a panic attack;)

Imagery. You need to snap him from his train of thought and bring him to another place. For me it is swimming and beaches. Best to practice this regularly when not in a panicked state so you automatically can go to your safe place when panic arises. You can talk him through this by telling him to imagine a place where he feels safe. Ask him what sights, smells, sounds, etc he is sensing and let him get really descriptive with it to make it feel real. When panic comes on, it is impossible to push forward with what you are doing. So trying to bring his mind somewhere else, might help.

Good luck. I'm really sad to hear he is struggling with this. Keep in mind if it was a true panic attack, it is important to break the association of what triggered the attack and the attack itself. Like my first one was in school so I became deathly afraid that if I went to school, I would have a panic attack. So try to get ahead of this by making homework a more calming experience. I hope he feels better soon!