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Anxiety disorder in Children
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<blockquote data-quote="smallworld" data-source="post: 144004" data-attributes="member: 2423"><p>Reds, welcome. I'm glad you found us.</p><p> </p><p>My daughter M was a couple months shy of 8 when her anxiety with eating began. She started complaining that it was hard for the food to go down her throat and that she was worried the food would come back up. She frequently said she "felt bad" and that she was "queasy." She also became sensitive to the look and smell of certain foods and couldn't be in the same room when they were served. </p><p> </p><p>Although we suspected anxiety at the root of her behavior, I insisted that all physical causes be ruled out. She had extensive blood work (to rule out ulcer, celiac, thyroid problems, etc) , underwent an upper endoscopy and a swallow study (the latter two set up by a pediatric GI doctor). Everything turned up normal.</p><p> </p><p>M then started seeing a child psychiatrist, who did not prescribe medications originally but worked with her cognitively to deal with her anxiety. Unfortunately, M saw a cartoon on TV that depicted a character choking and became convinced that she would choke and die if she ate. She then gave up certain foods (first all meat, then BiPolar (BP)&j, then pizza, then anything crunchy, etc) as "unsafe" until she got to the point of barely eating anything at all. Because she lost so much weight and was barely keeping herself hydrated, she ended up hospitalized for 5 days, fed via an NG tube for a month and in a day treatment program for 5 weeks of feeding therapy. Medication for anxiety was started just prior to hospitalization, and that coupled with intensive therapy, gradually got M back to eating to sustain herself without tube feedings. </p><p> </p><p>In relating our story, I'm not trying to scare you, but it is important to take Ryan's concerns very seriously so the situation doesn't spin out of control. Have you ruled out all physical causes? If so, are you getting him in to see a psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker? Ideally, this mental health professional will have experience with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which will help Ryan overcome his fears by exposing him to the very thing he is afraid of (food). If his anxiety becomes so great that he starts severely limiting his intake, medications will need to be considered. If you end up working with a psychologist or social worker, make sure that professional has a working relationship with a psychiatrist in the event you have to go the medication route.</p><p> </p><p>It's been 2 years since M's eating anxiety began, and I'm happy to report she's a healthy little girl who eats almost normally today. She's still on medications and she still sees her psychiatrist weekly, but she's well on the road to recovery. </p><p> </p><p>Please know that I am here to support you in any way you think I can be helpful. Hang in there.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="smallworld, post: 144004, member: 2423"] Reds, welcome. I'm glad you found us. My daughter M was a couple months shy of 8 when her anxiety with eating began. She started complaining that it was hard for the food to go down her throat and that she was worried the food would come back up. She frequently said she "felt bad" and that she was "queasy." She also became sensitive to the look and smell of certain foods and couldn't be in the same room when they were served. Although we suspected anxiety at the root of her behavior, I insisted that all physical causes be ruled out. She had extensive blood work (to rule out ulcer, celiac, thyroid problems, etc) , underwent an upper endoscopy and a swallow study (the latter two set up by a pediatric GI doctor). Everything turned up normal. M then started seeing a child psychiatrist, who did not prescribe medications originally but worked with her cognitively to deal with her anxiety. Unfortunately, M saw a cartoon on TV that depicted a character choking and became convinced that she would choke and die if she ate. She then gave up certain foods (first all meat, then BiPolar (BP)&j, then pizza, then anything crunchy, etc) as "unsafe" until she got to the point of barely eating anything at all. Because she lost so much weight and was barely keeping herself hydrated, she ended up hospitalized for 5 days, fed via an NG tube for a month and in a day treatment program for 5 weeks of feeding therapy. Medication for anxiety was started just prior to hospitalization, and that coupled with intensive therapy, gradually got M back to eating to sustain herself without tube feedings. In relating our story, I'm not trying to scare you, but it is important to take Ryan's concerns very seriously so the situation doesn't spin out of control. Have you ruled out all physical causes? If so, are you getting him in to see a psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker? Ideally, this mental health professional will have experience with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which will help Ryan overcome his fears by exposing him to the very thing he is afraid of (food). If his anxiety becomes so great that he starts severely limiting his intake, medications will need to be considered. If you end up working with a psychologist or social worker, make sure that professional has a working relationship with a psychiatrist in the event you have to go the medication route. It's been 2 years since M's eating anxiety began, and I'm happy to report she's a healthy little girl who eats almost normally today. She's still on medications and she still sees her psychiatrist weekly, but she's well on the road to recovery. Please know that I am here to support you in any way you think I can be helpful. Hang in there. [/QUOTE]
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