Seizures & Panic Attacks in Children

Your loved ones, particularly your children, are important to you. Conditions and disorders that cause seizures and panic attacks in your children can be scary and confusing.

What is a Seizure?

• According to the National Institutes of Health, a seizure is a symptom of a brain disorder involving sudden, abnormal electrical activity. Some seizures cause convulsions.

What is a Panic Attack?

• A panic attack is a symptom of panic disorder that is "defined as an episode of intense fear and unease," according the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders at Boston University. Physical and mental symptoms like sweating, heavy breathing and negative thoughts often accompany panic attacks.

What are the Different Types?

• There are many types of seizures. They can be categorized into two groups: focal and generalized. Focal seizures occur in a specific part of the brain. Generalized seizures happen on both sides of the brain.

  There are not different types of panic attacks, just different symptoms. It is not common for young children to get these attacks; adolescents or adults are the most frequent sufferers.

What are the Causes?

• Seizures can be caused by different medicines, fevers, head injuries, and diseases.

  Panic attacks do not have any official cause, but is often hereditary. Other causes for panic attacks in children include highly stressful situations like deaths, grades, or lost friendships.

What are the Treatments?

• Treatment for seizures depends on the cause, but usually medication can suppress the problem.

  In panic attacks, there are different therapies, such as cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure therapy, that can be useful.