My very sunny-temperament nearly 8yo DD has had some quite worrying personality changes over the last few weeks. Some new behaviours display as anxiety, so we’ve been working with the school psychologist, but I’m starting to think we’re on the wrong track with it or at least not seeing the whole picture.
She’s been getting herself into a state, with hyperventilating, crying, thrashing about. Highly distressed, like a toddler tantrum but without the attitude. Just seems she spirals out of control, and begs for help to get back on track. Sometimes relaxation techniques help, but sometimes she is too far gone and I can only hug her until she exhausts herself. Not everyday, and sometimes I can reassure her and head off bigger problems. Definitely she’s been generally grumpy and disobedient (an increase of 300% in talking back).
She’s also become a bit fixated on her health, especially the risk of throwing up. She’s gone from a very wide and varied diet, with a great appetite, to being tentative about eating ‘in case it makes me sick’. If I sit with her while she eats, she gets going and then is fine. Obviously I can’t monitor her eating during the school meals.
As I say, I’ve been treating it like an anxiety issue, but I’m starting to wonder if it’s actually something chemical/physical going on? Either changes to do with getting older (hormones? Metabolism changes?) or something that’s gone wrong and needs addressing (in the category of diabetes?). Something we could address better with careful dietary strategies (with what she eats and when?). She definitely feels more her old self (sometimes quite dramatically better) soon after eating. I had put it down to her feeling emotionally better for not having vomited, which eased her fears. But maybe it’s the food itself helping?
I will check with my (great) GP, but can’t get in until next week. I’m also loathe to put her through a battery of medical tests, which would fuel her health anxiety (showing her that we grownups suspect she really IS sick and it’s not ‘just’ anxiety).
Any ideas what exploratory tests the GP might suggest? Or other detective strategies I can employ to test my theory? Has someone else in MN world encountered this sort of thing with their kid? Thanks.