Son Got Medication for Panic But Now Fears Being Poisoned
Reader’s Question
My 12-year-old son began having panic attacks about eight weeks ago. He said he could not breath, so we took him to a pediatrician who checked out his breathing and said that he felt that he was having anxiety and put him on 25 mg of Zoloft. A few weeks went by, and he began to ask questions about whether “this” or “that” would poison him or kill him. After consulting the doctor, his Zoloft was increased to 50 mg and then 75 mg. Still, every time we turn around my son is saying that some unknown speck or dirt or something is going to poison him.
Last night at bedtime my son started using accusatory language that somehow we his parents or one of his siblings was poisoning him. No amount of arguing with him seems to convince him otherwise. I don’t understand his fixation on poisoning or why he thinks he will encounter some contaminant that will kill him! Any advice would be helpful.
Our Clinical Psychologist’s Reply
There is often no “rhyme or reason” to fears and phobias. Anxiety is a fear response that has no identifiable source, whereas a phobia is fear of a particular thing. And sometimes children experience fears that are relatively uncomplicated and can be easily ameliorated with medication and/or cognitive-behavioral therapy. However, such symptoms can also accompany other psychological problems and disorders.
Although it is not uncommon for a pediatrician to address the anxiety your son is experiencing through the use of medications like Zoloft (an antidepressant in the Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor class that has anti-anxiety properties without the risk of fostering dependence), in many cases similar to yours, more specialized evaluation and treatment is indicated. A clinical psychologist or a psychiatrist with specialized training in children’s issues as well as anxiety and other mental disorders would be a good place to start. Medication alone is rarely sufficient to resolve the kinds of problems you report. A comprehensive evaluation by a mental health professional might not only clarify the diagnostic picture and reveal other issues that need attention but also help indicate what therapies might be the most appropriate and necessary.
