Anxiety attacks are manageable — and parents can help
Suddenly your child no longer wants to visit unfamiliar places. Then the panic attacks begin — sweaty palms, difficulty breathing, extreme fear. Elementary school teacher Chantal Besner knows the feeling. She suffered from anxiety and panic attacks for more than 25 years. Besner is now symptom-free and helping others. Besner is giving a two-hour talk at the library in Pincourt on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The talk targets parents of children suffering from anxiety. An important part of Besner’s presentation is explaining the difference between suffering from an anxiety disorder and having difficulty coping with stress. “People often mix them up because the symptoms presented, such as stomach ache and accelerated heart rate, are often the same,” Besner said. “It’s difficult to discern one from the other.” Besner began to exhibit symptoms of an anxiety disorder and have panic attacks when she was 16 years old. “I don’t remember exactly what triggered the first attack, but in general I remember experiencing a lot of fear about adulthood,” she said. A survey done by the World Health Organization found that up to 30 per cent of people will suffer from an anxiety disorder at some point with most sufferers between 15 and 35 years old. There are different types of anxiety disorders and people can suffer from more than one anxiety disorder at the same time. Treatment can include therapy, medication, lifestyle changes or different combinations of the three. Are there more young people suffering from anxiety and stress today than, say, 25 years ago, or is it that people are more at ease talking about their difficulties? “I would say more people are suffering, yes, but I would also say more people are willing to get help,” Besner said. “We are talking about it more. It’s less of a taboo.” With the help of therapy and medication, Besner was feeling much better by 2006, but it is only recently that she would describe herself as cured. “I’m 44 years old and it’s only been one year since I stopped medication and therapy and haven’t had a panic attack,” she said. Besner said data is still being gathered on the impact social media and the rush of daily life have on young people, but she said she wouldn’t be surprised that the heightened expectations of today’s world take a toll. “Both mom and dad work. Schedules are packed. Children are always in a rush — ‘Hurry up, it’s time for your violin lesson,’” she said. Besner talks to parents about the sort of behavioural shifts they should watch for in their children and what steps to take, on a daily basis, to help them ease their anxiety. What really helped Besner turn her life around was the outreach organization Le Versant, which helps people struggling with anxiety. Participants do exercises devised by psychologists that give them tools to draw on when having an anxious moment or panic attack. “You go to (a workshop at) Le Versant and you don’t feel so alone anymore,” Besner said. “You meet people like yourself, and the workshops are given by people who struggled with anxiety themselves, so they know exactly what you are going through.” Besner teaches Grade 1 at École de l’Hymne-du-Printemps in Vaudreuil-Dorion and is a speaker and a family coach. She has written a book on the subject titled L’anxiété et le stress chez les élèves (Chenelière éducation). Registration is required to attend the lecture, which is in French. Call 514-425-1104, ext. 6244. Pincourt Public Library is located at 225 Pincourt Blvd. To find out more about Le Versant, visit leversant.org.