Anxiety Disorders in Children Support Group

Childhood","This community is for parents and caregivers of children who exhibit signs of anxiety. Anxiety refers to a complex combination of negative emotions that includes fear, apprehension and worry, and is often accompanied by physical sensations such as palpitations, nausea, chest pain and/or shortness of breath."

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Children's Mental Health
/ Anxiety Disorders in Children Support Group

Can a child bring on sickness?

bonnieboo11
bonnieboo11
My daughter suffers from lots of anxiety.She is on 20 mg of fluoxetine and has many anxieties auround school.Last year she missed 43 days,this year 20 so far 2 weeks was pneumonia and then 2 weeks strep throat.I know you cant fake pneumonia but the 2nd week of strep was stomache pains and feeling nauseous.She is in 6th grade and has been like this since kindergarten, I can pretty much tell when she is faking and to see if she is faking we even tried giving her the freedom to just stay home but tell the truth and not pretend she is sick to do so. So my question is could she be making herself sick? She also has alot of anxiety around being sick.Thinking she has got some weird disease and will die, ect. I know her doctors and therapist think I should pretty much ignore it and send her to school unless fever,ect.But her symptoms are real, diahrrea,stomace ache dry heaves,Anyone have expierence with this?
jbj1001
jbj1001
Yes, I have experience with this - my daughter has anxiety, which is why I am on this board, but my experience with that particular issue is my own. When I have had anxiety, I actually vomit, have diarrhea and get dry heaves. As an adult, I recognize that it 100% from panic, but I'm sure as a kid you would not. (Also, I am not anxious about sickness/throwing up. But if I were, I'm sure that would make it 10 times worse!) If she has other symptoms, like a fever or rash, it's not anxiety. If it's stomach/gastrointestinal or headache, it could be anxiety-related.
breleewheeler
breleewheeler
We have an adult friend who has anxiety and illness triggers panic attacks for him. When he sees his family (wife and children particularly) become ill he begins to get upset slowly, with fear that he will get it too. It makes him ill and he eventually gets himself into a full panic episode requiring medication to bring him down. In every other respect, this man is a fully functioning, responsible, brilliant adult with a PhD....but this one thing is a very real area of fear for him.

Thankfully, its been a few years since recognizing this and seeking professional help, and now he has learned techniques to talk himself down before needing medication (which he keeps on hand for emergencies of course).

So yes, I think it can be real....I'm surprised the therapist doesn't explore what she's feeling/thinking when she gets ill and start teaching her coping techniques...but then, I'm not a pro!
mamasquirrel
mamasquirrel
It is very possible for an anxious child or adult to make themselves physically sick. And i would say that the constant state of stress your daughter is putting herself in, would probably compromise her immune system a bit too. My son tells me he has a stomach ache/sore throat/diahrrea almost every morning as a reason not to go to school. "fortunately" he has a phobia about vomiting or I'm sure he would add the dry heaves to his school avoidance arsonel. Regardless, he goes to school unless he is actively vomiting or has a fever over 100. If the therapist and pediatrician agree, i'd send her to school and maybe have an understanding with the school nurse that she can go there to calm down? hang in there!
Piglette130
Piglette130
As someone who has lived with anxiety and now has a child with anxiety, I'd say it is 100% possible that immunity is tied to anxiety. While you can't MAKE yourself sick, the constant state of anxiousness has negatively effected my immunity. As a teenager, before my anxiety was properly treated, I got sick ALL the time and missed tons of school. My friends always commented that I caught every bug. It's like your body is working so hard all the time, you don't have any reserves left to fight of illness. My son also seems to pick up every single thing his classmates have and just seems like a "sickly" child in general. I'm hoping as his anxiety gets under control, we will see him be healthier.
Piglette130
Piglette130
I should also add that diarrhea was my #1 symptom of anxiety. I'd get bouts of it 3-4 mornings a week, when it was time to go to school. When irritable bowel meds did not help, we knew it had to be from the anxiety.