Panic disorder in children and adolescents

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Panic disorder is characterized by panic attacks that occur at least once a week. A panic attack is a brief (about 20-minute) episode of intense fear that is usually accompanied by physical symptoms, such as rapid breathing, a rapid heart beat, sweating, chest pain, and nausea.

Panic disorder is diagnosed when children have panic attacks frequently enough to cause significant impairment or suffering.
Panic disorder is usually treated with a combination of drugs and behavioral therapy.

(See also Overview of Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents and Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder in adults.)
Panic disorder is much more common among adolescents than among younger children. Sometimes children have separation anxiety or generalized anxiety when they are younger and then develop panic disorder as they go through puberty.
Panic attacks can occur in any anxiety disorder, usually in response to the focus of that disorder. For example, children with separation anxiety may have a panic attack when a parent leaves. Children who fear being trapped in places with no way to escape easily (agoraphobia) may have a panic attack when they are seated in the middle of a row in a crowded auditorium. Many children who have panic disorder also have agoraphobia.
Physical disorders, such as asthma, can also trigger panic attacks, and panic attacks can trigger asthma.