At the Cognitive Behavior Therapy Center of Silicon Valley in Saratoga/San Jose, we offer cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for teenagers with Panic Disorder. Our approach with teenagers is practical, goal-oriented, compassionate, and scientifically-based while focusing on your teen’s individual needs. With our central location in Saratoga just a 1/2 mile (2 minute drive) from Hwy 85, we serve the Silicon Valley communities of San Jose, Saratoga, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Cupertino, Campbell, Mountain View, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale and Los Altos. If you think your teenager may be experiencing Panic Disorder, you can learn more about panic attacks and our treatment approach below.
What is Panic Disorder in Teens?
Panic Attacks are periods of marked fear or discomfort, often accompanied by physiological symptoms including pounding heart, sweating, shaking, feelings of choking, chest pain, nausea, dizziness, numbness, shortness of breath, chills and hot flashes. These attacks often include feelings of detachment from oneself and/or reality and fears of dying or of loosing control. Panic Disorder is diagnosed when an individual experiences repeated panic attacks, as well as an intense fear of having another panic attack.
Symptoms of Panic Disorder in Teenagers
- Recurrent and unexpected panic symptoms that have led the teen to be overly concerned about having another panic attack.
- Avoidance of activities or environments that have triggered panic symptoms in the past. For example, a teen with Panic Disorder may avoid school, shopping malls, crowded spaces, sports, and social events due to a fear of having a panic attack in one of these environments.
- Reluctance to leave home or other “safe places” without a support person.
- Spending time away from friends and other activities that the teen used to enjoy.
Cognitive Behavioral Model of Panic Disorder for Adolescents
Panic Disorder is maintained by the fear of having a panic attack, along with sensitivity towards and misinterpretation of bodily sensations. While many teens and adults experience panic attacks, Panic Disorder develops when normal bodily sensations are feared and misinterpreted as harmful or dangerous. Teens who experience chronic panic attacks often perceive anxiety as extremely uncomfortable and aversive. They are also often more likely to notice changes in their bodily sensations. For example, your teen might notice her heart rate increasing while in a shopping mall. This change in sensation may lead her to believe that she is about to have a panic attack. The resulting fear and anxiety may then trigger the panic attack. In this way, it is her beliefs about the bodily sensations, rather than the sensations themselves that trigger the panic attack.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) for Teens with Panic Disorder
CBT for Panic Disorder seeks to modify the beliefs and behaviors that maintain your teen’s panic attacks. The first component of treatment is education about the nature of anxiety and panic. One of the first things we tell teens experiencing panic disorder is that their symptoms cannot hurt them. After identifying the thoughts and behaviors that maintain your teen’s panic attacks, the therapist will teach new skills for dealing with panic symptoms and coping with uncomfortable bodily sensations. These skills include diaphragmatic breathing as well as cognitive interventions aimed at replacing fearful thoughts with more constructive and realistic thoughts.
The next component of treatment is exposure therapy, where the teen will face their fears, in session and in the real world, and practice new ways of responding to anxiety. The treatment usually includes interoceptive exposures, which is exposure to the feared bodily sensations associated with panic attacks. The therapist will design safe experiments that will elicit the feared bodily sensations such as rapid heart rate or hyperventilation and teach the teen how to cope with these physical sensations without engaging in safety behaviors or trying to escape from the anxiety.
With practice and experience facing their fears, teens will learn that the bodily sensations themselves are not dangerous and that they can cope with anxiety. Ironically, by facing their fears and experiencing the anxiety, most teens will find themselves having fewer panic attacks and, when they do, they won’t be scared of the symptoms.
Common Goals of Cognitive Behavior Therapy with Teenagers
- Reduce the frequency and the intensity of panic attacks and symptoms
- Reduce the fear of panic attacks
- Resume regular activities outside of the home
- Build coping skills for handling anxiety
Getting Help for Your Teen with Panic Disorder
It is important to listen to your teen and be open-minded. Your teen’s fear of anxiety and of having a panic attack may be hard to understand yet it is very real to them. Help your teen understand that anxiety and uncertainty are normal parts of adolescence and that their anxiety symptoms are not going to hurt them. Be supportive, encouraging, and remind your teen of what he or she does well. After talking with your teen, it may be time to get some professional help.
The Cognitive Behavior Therapy Center of Silicon Valley specializes in therapy and counseling for teenagers with panic disorder. With our central location in Saratoga just a 1/2 mile (2 minute drive) from Hwy 85, we serve the Silicon Valley communities of San Jose, Saratoga, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Cupertino, Campbell, Mountain View, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale and Los Altos. Contact us at (408) 384-8404 for more information on how we can help your teen overcome panic disorder.