Taking Clothes off and Nightmares

[janesshoes]

My daughter turns six in two weeks.  A few years ago she started having nightmares and having anxiety attacks.  We tried to deal with the behavior but recently she has been having increasing panic attacks and I now think of her nightmares as night terrors.  She dreams of being attacked by a tiger and no one is there to save her.  It is recurrent.
A few weeks ago she pulled her pants down in front of a boy.  At the time I thought it was no big deal because kids sometimes do these kinds of things.  We had a talk about how that was inappropriate and she understood.
Then today, her sister tells me that she pulled her shirt up at school in front of a boy. She had a sports bra type tank underneath that she sometimes wears because she is jealous that her sister wears a bra.  She said she wanted to show her sports bra to the boy.
Honestly, the nightmares and panic attacks are out of control and I don't know what to do.

[jdtm]

Re:  Removing Clothing

Our granddaughter behaved in a similar fashion while in her second grade at school.  She had been diagnosed with severe social phobia.  We thought that her thinking was deranged (or this was a result of her medication) until several years later, she told us that she was being bullied at that period of time.  Children who suffer from anxiety have poor social skills and our granddaughter would do anything at school to get attention or be a part of the group.  Could this be part of the problem?

I am wondering if the nightmares, poor judgment behaviours, and panic attacks are all part of the same issue - anxiety.  I might suggest you seek out a medical person with experience in anxiety disorders as a child neurologist, child psychiatrist/psychologist, etc.  Anxiety is an inherited trait and highly treatable.  I wish you the best ...

[SL345]

If the nightmares and panic attacks are out of control, have you considered seeking out professional help? Something is stressing this girl. She may be vulnerable to anxiety, but the source of the immediate stress needs to be determined and addressed. Have you asked her if she has any specific worries or fears or if anyone is bothering her?