Since he struggles with things beyond baseball like tests, he probably has anxiety in general that flares with pressure - you prob need a really low dose SSRI - for a short term- until he breaks the cycle - it would also give him a bit of ability to use the cbt bc he won't be as panicked in those moments. Poor kid but I'm totally with you - this is an instance for meds and I would def find a good child psychiatrist to help you figure out dose and amount. A lot of people use fish oil as well for anxiety before trying meds but it's not enough for panic attacks.

It would have been a better investment if you spent that money on tutors and a baseball coach so that he can over learn skills. Baseball is all about muscle memory. Instead of spending thousands on a psychologist, you could have spent thousands on baseball coaching and attending baseball games. You can't think during a game, there isn't time. He has to react. He has to know what he is going to do in the field before the pitcher pitches the ball. He is getting stressed because he is making errors and then gets so upset he isn't ready for the next play. My older son overthinks and during tryouts looks fantastic because he know he has to field ball and throw to first. Or catch a fly ball. Or hit when a coach is pitching. It isn't mimicking a real baseball game situation. My younger son doesn't look as good at tryouts but plays great in a real game. He pitches and doesn't care if he hits a batter, walks a batter, or someone gets a hit. He takes a breath and throws how he has been taught. My oldest had to over learn the same skills so he stops thinking so much.

We have tried CBT (he's worked with therapists for months at a time) but when he's in the heat of the moment of an anxiety fueled melt-down he CANNOT talk him self out of it. When he's not in this state he could teach a course in CBT. Then he can tell you exactly what he should be doing and feeling to talk himself down.

My DD is exactly like this. Sorry, I kind of skimmed the thread, but it sounds like the psychiatrist does think he has GAD. From my experiences with my own kid, what is probably is happening is that he is anxious at a low level all the time, but in general is able to control it. With the additional stress of the "performance", he loses the ability to use the tools. We did CBT with my DD for 2 years but eventually realized she wasn't able to control it in those high pressure moments (for her it was tests) so the doctor suggested Prozac. It makes a world of difference in her overall anxiety levels and even in the high pressure moments, she is now mostly able to use the CBT tools.

She is now in HS and gets panic attacks sometimes before a test or presentation. The doctor did say if that continued we might consider giving her a prescription for something like Xanax that she could take on an occasional, as needed basis. But only if the panic attacks were more frequent than once a month, so their threshold is pretty high for prescribing these rescue meds (as it should be).

So I would ask the doctor about an SSRI. I suspect your DS has a lot more anxiety than he is reporting, perhaps even more than he realizes, because to him it is just his normal.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You must be a troll. "Performance anxiety" isn't in the DSM. Good luck finding a child psychiatrist who's taking new patients or one that's willing to loose his/her license for prescribing drugs in this situation.

Part of competing is being able to compete. Maybe he should try a different sport or just play recreationally. This is a life lesson that we don't always get what we want. If you're not a troll, then you can practice meditation and relaxation techniques with your kid.

No but perfectionism is and it absolutely affects kids. Elite musicians, Navy fighter pilots and anyone else who knows better takes beta blockers for this kind of situation. I am also someone whose nerves absolutely get the best of me in peak performance moments like this and it is real, hormonal, biological moment. You don't know what you are talking about.

They do and this is called drug abuse.

No one is saying that performance anxiety isn't real, but it is completely unrealistic to think that your kid can just pop a pill to compete in baseball or anything else. If a child has generalized anxiety, it's something that is chronic and needs to be treated on an ongoing basis though CBT and/or medication. There are no quick fixes or short cuts. That's why many of us are horrified that the OP is looking for this specifically and also without having an actual diagnosis.

OP, I think you could benefit from listening to an interview with a professional baseball pitcher:
http://www.npr.org/2017/04/24/525369133/for-baseballs-rick-ankiel-losing-his-pitching-ability-led-to-an-unusual-comeback