Emetophobia in Children

 

No one is safe from emetophobia. Emetophobia can occur in males, females, toddlers, kids, teens, adults, and elders.

Here, we're going to talk about emetophobia in children. When a child is emetophobic, they often get labelled as dramatic, tempermental, drama queens, selfish, etc.

They often get mis-diagnosed with OCD, panic disorder, social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, etc.

 

Early signs of childhood emetophobia include:

Avoidance of social situations

Not wanting to go to school

Not wanting to go in cars

Always asking, "what if I get sick" and "what if I vomit?"

Always feeling sick (children with emetophobia do not pretend to be sick to get out of doing things. Their anxiety causes them to literally feel extremely sick pretty often)

Avoidance of things that were involved in their last vomiting episode (for example, they may not want to eat any foods that they have eaten on the day they vomited)

Getting frequent calls from the school nurse

Weight loss

Not wanting to eat in public places, or before going to a public place

Excessive cleanliness

Not wanting to go to school, birthday parties, or other social events

 

The longer your child goes on living with emetophobia without treatment, the worse it'll get.

More symptoms of anxiety in a child:

trembling

crying

yelling

becoming dissociative or irrational

running away

fainting

nightmares

social withdrawal

 

Children with emetophobia are NOT selfish or rude. They do not have a temper. They can't control their phobia, just like any other person who has this. If you suspect your child has emetophobia, seek psychological treatment for them immediately.

 

If your child is anxious, worried, or panicking, speak to them calmly. Say nice, calming words. Don't yell at them, rush them, or get annoyed. It will only make things worse.