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Child mental health

fear of being sick

1 reply

Mantwab2020 · 23/11/2021 13:47

Hello everyone, I’m really hoping for some advice. My beautiful daughter is 10 and has been diagnosed with Emetaphobia which is a fear of being sick. She manages it fairly well but I’m really worried it’s getting worse. Night times are her biggest fear in case she’s not well when we are all asleep and she’s on her own. The daytimes are much better but she can worry at school sometimes. Her main anxiety is being sick herself or being close to someone who is unwell who might then pass something onto her which will make her sick. It absolutely breaks my heart to see her so anxious and Covid obviously hasn’t helped either! She is a bright, beautiful little girl and we are doing all we can at home to reassure her. We have had specialist help to manage the anxiety symptoms and school do help but it’s the rationale and the fear that I think we need to try and tackle a bit more. I just wondered if anyone else has been through or is going through anything similar. I will do absolutely anything to help her but I feel like I’m sometimes doing more harm than good because it’s way bigger than I can manage alone. Any advice would be so gratefully received. Oh and I should say that we do know the trigger of this which comes from her father being quite ill a few years ago and also from a family friend whose daughter projectile vomited everywhere at our house on her birthday 3 years ago! Ironically my daughter was never a sicky child and has only been sick a handful of times in her life. If anyone can help point me in the direction of trying something different it would be hugely appreciated. Many thanks in advance 🙏

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swizzlestix · 23/11/2021 13:51

Hello, sorry to hear your daughter is struggling so much, it's not easy.
My daughter was the same so I feel your pain. We had to pay for a private therapist who did CBT which was effective and very gradual . It's been a while now since it stopped her doing anything whereas previously it did, she'd hidden it very well for a long time then it all got too much.

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