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DS and health anxiety

2 replies

StripeyCurtains · 30/06/2017 08:07

DS is in year 6 and is about to move to secondary school so he has a lot on his plate. He gets quite worried by change but is otherwise a happy and healthy child, if a little small for his age.

He is constantly worried that he has something wrong with him. He mentions every little ache and pain and raises concerns about something several times a day (usually something different, e.g. slight pain in chest, tummy ache, ankle hurting) etc.

I took him to see a GP who checked everything he could superficially but DS absolutely refused to do a urine test and we didn't even go there with a blood test. DS is terrified of doctors and tests.

I'm worried about where this is going. I'm pretty sure it is symptomatic of greater worries (it has been going on at this rate since he was sitting entrance exams in January) and having experienced significant health anxiety in the past before he was born I know what it is to be fearful of illness all the time. It's a horrible way to live. I can't recommend my own cure (which was a couple of doses of cancer, ironically!) so I'm wondering how best to manage this and try and help him get out of it before it gets worse and worse.

Does anyone have any advice at all?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
mumblechum0 · 30/06/2017 08:10

My DS had this at a similar age and I just brushed it off, which I regret as he later had anxiety issues for several years.

As you say, it's often a symptom of an underlying issue. My best advice would be to get some private CBT sessions with a therapist who specialises in children to give him some coping strategies before he changes school.

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