child with severe anxiety disorder

well this is my 1st time here, i dont know where else to turn, my 15 yr old has such anxiety over school, been to doctors and counselors, no medicine seems to help. today he blew a great opportunity for something he has worked really hard for because he had such a panic attack this morning and would not go school, anyone dealing with school and panic attacks with teenagers, please write me thank you
 

nvts

Active Member
Hi! Welcome to the crowd! Does he have a diagnosis? Who did it (if you have one)? Have you had a neuropsychologist done on him yet?

What you might want to do is go to the My Stuff thingy at the top and fill in a profile. It makes it easier for people to get to know you!

Again, welcome!

Beth
 
Hi and welcome to the board!

A neuropsychologist is a neuropsychologist. they do a very in depth analysis of your child. You can usually get an appointment to see one at your local children's hospital.

If you click "my stuff" at the top of the page, a drop down list will appear. Click "my profile" and you can make your signature. If you need instruction, go to the FAQ forum and there is a how-to.

You are certainly not alone. There is at least one board member who has a child with such anxiety over school it is categorized as a school phobia. You have found the right place. Glad you found us here, but sorry that you had to.

Again, welcome to the board!
 

SRL

Active Member
Anxiety is tough, especially when the medications aren't working. Does your son get school services, such as an IEP?

There are alternative settings called therapeutic day schools which can be very helpful for children with anxiety disorder. Have you had any conversations with the district about this option?
 

SnowAngel

New Member
I suffer from anxiety. I was going to look into getting a "service" dog to help me in public places. There are non-profit organizations that help adults and children with emotional,physical or mental disabilities. Might want to check into it. You never know, it might be what he needs.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
I had severe panic attacks in school to the point that I'd scream in front of my classmates and get up to run to the nurse. Needless to say, the kids call me "psycho." Often anxiety/panic attacks go along with mood disorders. I had both. medications have stopped my panic attacks (I take Paxil and Klonopin, but don't recommend these for children).
I would amend his IEP to say he can go to the nurse if he feels anxious. Often it's a matter of having a calm person there for you. I'd also tell him that caffeine can make it worse and maybe he should pass on Coke and drink Sprite. Caffeine would ALWAYS give me panic attacks. If you see a Psychiatrist, I would resist if he wants to put your child on stimulants because I tried them and, although everyone is different, just one day of Ritalin set off severe depression and anxiety for a year for me. You have to be careful with anxiety--the wrong medications can be lethal. The right ones can allow you to live a normal life. Great therapy for anxiety disorder is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Talk therapy didn't do squat for me, but CBT was magical. I still use it. Pick up Dr. David Burns book "Feeling Good" to have CBT explained to you. It changed my life. I'd have panic disorder, anxiety disorder and depression from as early as I could remember, and school and wide open spaces were both triggers for me. (One last thing: Again, although everyone is different, Prozac made me even more nervous. So did Zoloft).
 

goldenguru

Active Member
Hi hanging on by a thread~

My daughter had a terrible time with school from the time she was in preschool. While she was not officially diagnosed with anxiety disorders ... it certainly was a component of her struggles. I can't tell you the times I dropped her off crying or pick her up from school crying. It was awful. It got worse in high school. The 'culture' became more than she could deal with.

Finally when she was a sophomore in high school, I pulled her out of the big public school and home schooled for a period of time. It was a great relief to her. She spent her senior year in a tiny po-dunk country school and did very well. The kids were more accepting - it was a much better fit for her.

Are his panic attacks 'triggered' specifically by school related things? If so, you may want to consider an alternative to the school he currently is in.

If you have any specific questions ... feel free. We're here to help.
 
MY SON STARTED THIS IN KINDERGARTEN AND OVER THE YEARS IT HAS GOTTEN SO MUCH WORSE. LAST YEAR I HAD HIM IN A HOMEBOUND PROGRAM WHERE HE LEARNED ABSOLUTELY NOTING. THE STATE OF FLORIDA IS REALLY LACKING WHEN IT COMES TO KIDS WITH AN ILLNESS. AND THE DOCTORS IN THIS STATE ARE THE WORST. THERE ARE NO ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS IN THIS AREA. AND HERE IT IS ANOTHER MORNING THAT I CANT GET HIM OUT THE DOOR. THEY WILL BE LOCKING ME UP SOON. ANYWAY THANK FOR WRITING BUT THIS IS ALL TOO DEPRESSING AND IM SORRY FOR WHAT YOU GO THROUGH TOO.
 

bby31288

Active Member
My difficult child has major anxiety disorder. She takes Wellbutrin SR and it works the best for her. Zoloft caused major weight gain. Hers also started when she was younger, one day she suddenly decided that I could die while she was away from me, at school, wherever. We have been working on it for years, and thankfully with a great support system at her lower levels of school she is doing well with her medication change in High School. My suggestion would also be to make an appointment with whomever prescribed the zoloft and xanax and have a re-evaluation done. Or better yet, look for a Neuropshyc and have a new work up done.

How are his social skills? Does he have friends? Is it possible he may be being bullied at school that you don't know of? Does he not like having to change in front of people in gym, etc? These are all things that could make school anxiety worse. Like the others have said...only a Dr. can make a correct diagnosis. These are things that have helped our kids...

Welcome, come often post often!
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
Hi Terry, nice to meet you.
So sorry about your son.
And that Prozac and Xanax didn't work.
Good point about your medications, MM, working for you but that they're not recommended for kids. It's really important to know which ones to stay away from at certain ages.
I would recommend counseling, too ... it's always best to do that in conjunction with-medications.
Wish I could help more!
 

SnowAngel

New Member
Have you looked into a public virtual school online? He would be able to go at his own pace. They are government funded and school curriculum is provided to you. AZVA & Connections academy are the two I know of.

Everyone of us have been overwhelmed at some point. It can be very depressing for me, but thats when I fight harder to find a solution to whatever we are going through, unfortunately I lack patience. Most of what we go through takes time to find help, answers or solutions.

Also if your primary care doctor has written a statement regarding your sons severe anxiety and you give it to the school district, I believe that it gives you some flexibility on abscences. It does in Arizona.
 

susiestar

Roll With It
I just caught part of this on a post in the Substance Abuse forum.

I am SOOO sorry. Panic attacks and anxiety stink for the entire family.

There are MANY online curriculums, and I am sure that the Special Education forum would have some help for you.

There is a book called the Anxiety and Phobia Workbook that I found very helpful, both for myself and for my daughter (even at age 9 it was helpful).

It sounds like your son WANTS to learn, but can't. At the very least, there should be something in the Special Education Forum to help you with the truancy stuff. Or google homeschool laws florida to find out what you can do to actually pull him out and have him learn at home.

I hope it gets better for you all.

Susie
 

gcvmom

Here we go again!
If the current medication combo isn't working, I'd push his doctor to try something else. Lots of options out there, so something's bound to work if you can give it time. He should qualify for a 504 plan at a bare minimum to help accomodate him during times like this.

We all have anxiety issues in my house. difficult child 1 does well on Lexapro and takes Ativan as needed. husband takes Paxil, but probably needs something else with it. I'm on Norpramine and manage pretty well overall.

My dad suffered for years from panic attacks and agoraphobia. I don't have much info on his medications -- I think he tried them all, but was never very good about sticking with them.

Anxiety can certainly be debilitating. Hope you are able to get something in place for your son soon.
 
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