QUESTION:
Dr. Heller,
You are my last hope. My son is falling apart. He is only 16 y/o. Last year he was attacked 7 times in one week, luckily he wasn’t hurt but since then he is totally unable to leave the house and has mass panic attacks. He is sick at the thought of going out and is a totally changed young man. I have spent the last few months on the phone and find it totally disgusting that no one seems to want to know. Our doctor has just prescribed him half Inderal and referred him to a hospital again. We have been waiting over a year to no avail. It is breaking my heart and I find it hard to help him any more. He is becoming suicidal as he thinks his life is over. One main problem with the groups I have contacted is that Simon cannot go to them and they won’t come to him. Please can you give me some positive advice. I am terrified of what may happen.
ANSWER:
He likely has both panic disorder and post traumatic stress disorder. There are medications that can work relatively quickly. Usually Prozac (fluoxetine) combined with Remeron 30mg (mirtazapine) will cause a dramatic change quickly. A benzodiazepine will likely be necessary as well. The screening test I use for my patients may give you some clues about additional diagnoses.