It started when I was at my dance class. I suddenly felt my heart speed up, I got all hot and dizzy, and I wanted to just run away and escape everything.
The next day at school, it happened again. I asked to go to the toilet and I was gone ages, so they sent a teaching assistant to look for me. She found me on a bench in the playground, crying my eyes out. She thought I was suffering from a panic attack, and it seemed like a reasonable explanation.
After that, I didn't go to school for over five weeks. When I did, my mum had to drag me, and I ran away a lot. I even had a fight with a teacher over going in to school. The school arranged for a lady to come and speak to me about my problems and I did feel bit better, but not for long.
I latched on to my mum and felt safe if she was there. I think this is because my dad lives in Manchester and I don't see him much. For months I didn't visit him because I was scared that I'd have a panic attack in the car wouldn't be able to run away. Eventually, I made it to my dad's and realised I had nothing to worry about. I was really proud of myself at that moment.
But it ran much deeper, emotionally. I still have lots of irrational fears, such as flying, long car journeys and I also suffer from etemophobia - the fear of being sick. This is my worst nightmare, and last summer I even went through a phase where I didn't eat because I thought that feeling full meant I was going to be sick. This brought on panic attacks too and I lost a lot of weight. My parents thought I was anorexic, but I couldn't tell them the truth. That was one of my lowest points. This fear still rules my life, I can't even go on school trips because I'm scared that somebody might be sick on the coach.
I'm learning to control my fear, and since I moved up to secondary school, I even get the bus to school. I have taught myself lots of different techniques to deal when I feel like I might have a panic attack, but I'm still scared of getting close to boys.
Kate, 13, East Sussex
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