Overlooking the Signs: Teen Panic Attacks Are Common, Why Don’t We Know It and What Can We Do About It?, by Josephine Urbon
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Josephine urbon, Sbfc youth advisory member
I was at school in math class Freshman year. I asked to be excused to go to the bathroom. My heart and thoughts were racing. My chest hurt. I felt dizzy and a little nauseated. I was sweating and had chills at the same time. It lasted 15 minutes before I felt like I could breathe normally again. I didn’t feel comfortable talking with my teacher because I couldn’t explain what I was feeling. I was also worried she would think I was making it up. I called my mom who at first thought I was just trying to get out of class. She then said I probably had the flu and to take a Tylenol, drink some water, and get back to class.
I didn’t have the flu. I had a panic attack. They are defined as a type of anxiety disorder, and present as a “sudden episode of intense fear or anxiety and physical symptoms, based on a perceived threat rather than imminent danger.” (NIH). Biologically, when the body perceives danger, the brain orders the nervous system to activate the “fight or flight” response. The body is then flooded with different chemicals including adrenaline. They can spike by two and a half times your normal levels. That then triggers physiological changes. For example, the heart rate and breath speed up, and blood is shifted to the muscles to prepare for running away. But after all of this has been triggered and there is no danger, you’re apparently left with a panic attack.
But why? I didn’t have the obvious triggers. I wasn’t in a particular “period of stress” (such as a a big test). I wasn’t coming off “activities that lead to intense physical reactions” (such as exercise or too much coffee or alcohol – all of which can be factors). I also had not had a “sudden change of environment” (such as a dramatic temperature change); or a recent “traumatic event, or illness” (yet). Instead, as I later learned, panic attacks can typically happen unexpectedly; You can be in a harmless and seemingly stress-free situation, like watching TV.
The wide range of symptoms don’t help make it easy to identify the problem either. Symptoms can be like mine (accelerated heart rate and feeling lightheaded or dizzy), but they can also include (Mayo Clinic):
Anxious and irrational thinking, even a strong feeling of dread or fear of losing control
Trembling & tingling; chills & hot flushes,
A feeling of chest constriction or other tense muscles
Shortness of breath & dry mouth
Feeling detached
I didn't know it at the time, but statistically I was very average.
By age 14, 50% of all lifetime mental health issues begin. (NAMI)
Even earlier, by age 11, more than half of Americans with anxiety specifically, will experience a first episode. (Nat’l Council for Mental Wellbeing)
Overall, a third will experience a panic attack at some point in their lives. (WebMD)
Lastly, panic attacks seem more common in girls than boys (Cleveland Clinic)
So, panic episodes are common, and happen young. But what isn’t common is asking for help. Unfortunately, more than half of teens who experience any mental health challenge (64%) don’t seek help. (U.S. Dept of HHS) Thankfully I was able to talk with my parents, but it was primarily because I thought there was something physically wrong with me.
The good news is there are a range of things that can help (from breathing exercises, to tracking your symptom experience, to therapy, to medication), but first you must KNOW what’s happening. You have to recognize the signs of a possible mental health challenge. And you have to feel comfortable speaking up.
The problem is that in the moment of struggling, it is really hard to speak up about something that is confusing or embarrassing. But no one is immune, and we have to evolve from only asking the people who are struggling to speak up. Instead, we can ask EVERYONE to be educated, so we all know how to help each other, and ourselves - in advance of a challenge.
Unfortunately, it seems most people think of mental health as a private issue. Or something only professionals can help with. But issues are growing faster than resources, so we must know how to be our own advocates. To learn basic things we all can do to help, just like how we think about CPR!
THINGS YOU CAN DO!
Take the free, virtual, individual “Be There” training offered by Lady Gaga’s Foundation “Born This Way,” click here. It is self-paced and only takes a little over an hour. Send a photo of your certificate to @SelfCare4Good, for a chance to win some cool prizes!
In the LA area, you can also check out in-person, small-group, teen-MHFA training at Beach Cities Health District here.
Wherever you live, you can also advocate for a local chapter of NAMI (the Nat’l Alliance for Mental Illness), to come to your school with their one-hour “Ending The Silence” presentation. Click here to learn more.
By Josephine Urbon, SBFC Youth Advisory Board member, Self-Care-For-Good founder, and Wave Health app Teen Ambassador