At times, parenting a teenager can be both rewarding and difficult. As a parent, you will be well-aware of the social pressures, mental and physical challenges and also educational issues faced by your teen. At this stage, life can become complicated for him/her when he/she gets affected by panic disorder and as a parent. At such times, you would want to take the right type of steps to help your teen to get out of his/her problem. Some of the tips for helping your teen to get out of his/her panic disorder problem are given below.
Parenting tips for treating teen panic disorder
Understand the condition
It is essential to know what to expect in terms of course of treatment, diagnosis and symptoms, for your child with this condition. Most of the parents fail to understand the condition of their teen. But, you should never do this mistake, the more you know about panic disorder, the better prepared and supportive you can be. Of course, it is true that your doctor will provide you the right kind of guidance in this respect. Once, you approach a physician, it is better to get complete information about your teens’ treatment plan.
Be extra patient
It is not that quite easy to maintain patience with a teenager. When this is applicable to normal teens, when the case comes to anxious teen, it will become hard to relate the experiences of your teen with this condition. For instance, you may believe that he/she is rebellious or overreacting. Generally, parents get this thought as teens are generally melodramatic and demanding in nature. But, if you find that your teen has panic disorder, the main parenting tip given is to remain patient and supportive.
Generally, the teenager will find it difficult to manage panic attack, which is an important symptom of panic disorder. A number of physical sensations like excessive sweating, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, shaking and chest pain can be experienced. Also, they may experience common symptoms of panic attacks called derealization and depersonalization.
Be an advocate
Teenagers generally wish to fit themselves into their peer group as they give great value to their social lives. On the other hand, those with panic disorders will find it hard to adapt themselves to peer group and they will begin to follow avoidance behavior, making them feel isolated and lonely. As a parent, you will have to play a valuable role in the support system of your teen and take the role of an advocate for your child. Try to be encouraging and do not forget to show your unconditional support and show him/her that you are always there and encourage the child to express his feelings to you.
Self-care
When it comes to parenting, supporting the child with panic disorder can be an overwhelming task. You will surely experience the caretaker stress. In addition to attending to the requirements of your teen, you will also have to spend time for yourself and your self-improvement.
It is true that parenting a child, particularly a teen with panic disorder can be stressful and the best results can be achieved with the above-mentioned tips.