My son has been dealing with some anxiety over the past year about throwing up or getting sick. We have tried to help him by realizing his fear is real (I know it is becuase I still suffer from the same phobia, just not as severe) and trying to tell him that he is fine and reassuring him. However, in the past month it is becoming more compulsive. He will text me all morning until school starts asking if he is fine if he touched this or that, or if this touched that then he touched it if he is okay. He will ask several times before he realizes that maybe he is okay after all. I have him scheduled to see his pediatrician on the 17th for a consult. What do I need to ask for? Do I deny meds and see if therapy can help first? Has anyone gone through something similar and what was the best route and roughly how long until you saw some positive results? He will turn 10 next month.
starting off with the pediatrician to get a good referral to a therapist.
Honestly? I'd stop responding to his irrational texts and giving the issue so much attention.
I'd also get him a book about how to take care of his body in a healthy way. Like this one. Perhaps it will redirect his obsession with germs. http://www.amazon.com/Boys-Body-Book-Kelli-Dunham-ebook/d...
It is a very common phobia...and it can obviously escalate into a bigger issue.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is great for any sort of anxiety issue and can be used in most cases far more effectively than medication.
Ask for a referral to a child psychologist that specializes in anxiety issues. Then inquire about CBT. I bet just a couple of sessions will have him over this in no time.
The longer you wait the bigger it can get in his mind. And get on this ASAP because a lot of times the good therapists can take a while/months to get in to see...so you need to get moving.
My son has dealt with two different anxiety issues...both times it is has been resolved within three sessions. I love our therapist!! She is awesome!!
Everyone barfs/vomits/upchucks/makes-offerings-to-the-porcelain-God sometime or another.
It's official name - reverse peristalsis.
When we swallow our muscles coordinate to move the food along down the esophagus to the stomach.
Sometimes - for what ever reason - this sometimes happens in reverse.
And it's annoying when it does.
But it usually passes fairly quickly, we rinse out mouth (and nose) - and after a little recuperation - life goes on as normal.
I have no idea if explaining this to him will help but my feeling is - knowledge is power.
Certainly see if therapy helps him with his anxiety - poor guy!
Don't know how to help with a phobia, but I do know how to make it less awful.
I noticed when I was sea-sick a couple of times I didn't feel as horrible when I threw up - reason? Because on a boat, you're at the railing and throw up standing up. When we're sick, we bend over the toilet, which involves our noses/sinuses in the process - which is a level of awful I absolutely hate.
Since I figured this out, I've made sure when I feel sick to have a bucket, small trashcan, whatever (that can be easily rinsed) nearby, and that I sit STRAIGHT UP when throwing up into that bucket.
It's not fun, but it's a WHOLE lot less nasty than it used to be.
My daughter had (has) this exact same problem! It's called emetiphobia (sp?) At first we thought she might be OCD, the fear of germs, excessive hand washing, getting sick, exposure to contaminated food, etc. but we learned (after getting her into therapy) that what it really was was a core fear of vomiting and/or seeing other people vomit.
Ask your pediatrician or insurance company for a list of therapists in your area that deal with anxiety disorders in kids/teens. He will likely need a professional to help him deal with this. I wish you luck!!!
I think the most important thing you can do for now is to keep a log of all that you remember about his behavior and worries that concern you. This can provide information for the pediatrician and for any future consult. And make a list of whatever questions you may have.
And remember, it's perfectly ok to ask the pediatrician for options, and his/her opinion about the relative benefits and challenges of each option. And take notes during this consult. You do not have to make any decisions at that moment. Go home, consider what you were offered in the light of a good cup of coffee at home.
My daughter suffered with a bad bout of anxiety last year and this was one of the things that made her anxious. I had her see a therapist for a few months for talk therapy and that seemed to help. Although, yesterday her brother's classmate threw up at his desk and when my dd heard about it, she got very anxious. She was asking if he sat near that boy or had interacted with him that day. She ran and drank and Emergen-C and obsessed about it all night. She must have worked out it for herself because she didn't mention it at all today.
I would definitely start with talk therapy before trying meds. Sometimes they just need to learn tools to help them cope and figure things out.
Best wishes!
I'd talk to a Child psychologist and book an appointment for evaluation. Could be phobia/ OCD traits, but if you seek help quickly- this can be managed with good therapy and coping skill management.
Why would you see a pediatrician for a phobia?
They don't treat mental health issues.
If my doc told me to do anything except make an appointment with a psychologist for the kiddo I'd change docs. This is not their field.
That said.
He truly sounds like he's dealing with some OCD. Touching an object and it making him safe or okay is very much a compulsion that he might need meds for but therapy is a much better choice at his age.
They can use many techniques to get him over this if there was a traumatic event and this isn't a biological issue, chemically caused.
Such as getting embarrassed because he threw up and everyone in class laughed verses he is just terrified of something like this happening and by walking along and touching all the handles on the lockers in a certain hall will keep him from vomiting.
This is an unusual phobia since it has nearly a zero chance of happening. Even if it did it's not the worst that could happen, I mean there are worse things a body can do in public. Throwing up is something that most would feel sympathy for and be right there to help that person. It gets empathy. Whereas something like flooding their space with diarrhea would be really humiliating and laughed at.
I think he needs to see a therapist that can work with OCD/OCPD and get to the root of this. Event or chemical issue. Then they can suggest a PSYCHIATRIST to write your child's prescriptions.
Again, a Pediatrician should not be treating your son for this in any way. Only mental health professionals should be working with your son.
I came across medical data I read that said Anxiety is many times caused by a toxic overload, and this in turn affects the nervous system and causes anxiety. See if you can get him detoxed. Allopathic medicine probably wont be much help- they don't even consider those issues at all....you would likely need a naturopath.
There are herbs that detox, and...there are foods that detox. Cilantro is a top detoxer.... great in salsa. A raw food diet or all organic helps too.
