Grand Daughter help

[MRGD]

My wife and i have a 13 yr.old grand daughter. She's been through a lot because of her parents violence drugs and achohol. She now lives with us. The problem that worries me is her anxiety and panic attacks.

Let me try to explain briefly. At first I thought she was just shy but at school she's joined the band. When it was time for a concert she can't get out of the car and go in not even with us walking her in. She says her mind says "get out" but her body won't move. Then she started crying so we came home with her.

Also, she has a circle in my yard she goes to several times a day and just runs around and listens to her head set. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I heard you on klove radio Sunday morning and really enjoyed it thank you for your time.

[Mike Bradley]

Dear Grand Dad,
Quickly take your grand daughter to a good child psychiatrist for an evaluation. The odds are very high that her life could be radically changed for the better by the right medication and therapy. The bad news is that the longer her symptoms go untreated, the tougher they are to treat and the more pronounced they can become until they can overwhelm her entirely.
The great news is that we are very successful at treating problems such as hers. She is in great pain, far too much for a 13-year-old to handle for very long, so please move right away. If you have the choice, it would be wise to have her see a female psychiatrist and therapist, since often these problems have sexual aspects that might be hard for her to discuss with a male.
As with many, many thousands of other kids in this country, she is so lucky to have loving grandparents as a safety net. Hang in there with her. You might be the only dependable people she has ever known.
Let us know how things progress.