My daughter thinks she smells bad

I have a lovely 15 year old daughter and every since she hit puberty at age 12 she has had this fear of smelling bad.  Throughout her elementary school year she did have a true (on again off again) problem with her breath due to her asthma; that seemed to clear up around the time she hit puberty(12).  At age 12 she would come to me several times a week and say she felt like she smelled like #2(after she did #2)  I would tell her that she didn't smell like anything.  My daughter is very clean and has never had any offensive body odor, but from age 12 to now she has went from obsessing that she smells like #2 to thinking her pits smell.  I have had to go to the school in the past because she freaked out thinking that some kids were whispering about her body odor........when they weren't even talking about her, she doesn't like sitting close to other kids in school.  The weird part about this is that she is fine until school starts; she was happy all summer long and as soon as school started she became this depressed teen who is begging me to let her home school on a laptop because of her problem.  She is such a smart pretty girl..........all the girls at the school admire her for her fashionista ways but she rarely brings home friends or leaves the house and I feel she is missing out on life.  I had her seeing a therapist last year but she just didn't click with her.  Every time I think the problem is gone it shows back up and I now realize that it's really bad when she starts school (she hates her school).  It kills me to see her this way.  Has anyone heard of this problem and does anyone know of any good therapist on the Southside of Atlanta?

[mammo]

Getting her into theray is an excellent idea.  I think she has become very sensitive to this due to past problems, and it's affected her self esteem.  There are good and bad therapists and she needs to feel comfortable with one in order for therapy to work. She appears to be withdrawing as well, so maybe the first thing you should do is get her evaluated and go from there.  I know this is heart wrenching for you, and it's robbing her of a normal life, I feel bad for both of you.  Nipping this now while she is still young is best, because it can get worse with age.  She is obcessing about smelling bad, and this can accompany anxiety.  Take her to see a child psychologist and determine exactly what is going on so you will know what kind of therapist she needs.  I wish you all the best, good luck and take care.

[jul04]

As a parent myself I can totally understand how hard this is on you as well as your daughter.  I agree with mammo that you should have her evaluated so that you can get her the right kind of help.

This is something that has to be dealt with now because it is only going to get worse and you don't want her to develop an anxiety or panic disorder.  High school and puberty are hard enough she doesn't need additional problems on top of it.  

I wish you the best of luck.  Keep us posted....

[CONCERNEDMOM37]

Thanks you both for your kind words and advice.  I will keep you posted.

[lovespirit]

hey! i am a teen.. just like your daughter and i know exactly what she is going through. As a mom you have to try to believe her.. because my mom was exactly the same.. she kept asking why the "smell" only happened during school..but i know i am not crazy. I have no idea what i may have, but the best thing you should do is take your daughter to a good doctor that may have heard of this condition. The smell only seems to appear when i'm nervous or anxious, and this happens during school because i start thinking that i smell bad, tell your daughter to be as calm as possible and to try to relax and don't think about it much. sometimes it helps!! good luck