abnormal in an 8 year old?

[vmom]

My 8 year old daughter has recently (past 2 weeks) demonstrated some fear that I'm concerned about.  She says it started with some nightmares where she was shot in the head and another one where her father was killed by some men.  We didn't see any changes in her behavior until we tried to take her to her basketball game at the gym where the shooting in her dream had occurred.  She became hysterical and began telling us about all these fears of people that might hurt her or us.  It unnerved me because if we tried to reassure her that the people in her dreams weren't real and that she was safe she got this scared look on her face and said "please mom don't say that because if they hear you they might hurt you." The fear level has come and gone since then but I did take her to our doctor.  She told him that she knows these things were imaginary but that she has fears of ghosts or bad people hiding in our house.  She is functioning well at school, as usual, and continues to maintain her friendships and other interests.  But the fact that she seems so convinced that someone is hiding in the house to try to hurt her scares me.  I haven't brought up the fear or seen anything unusual for 5 days now.  Should I take her to a child psychiatrist (that's what my doctor recommended).  I don't want her to think that there is something wrong with her if she is just being overly imaginative along with some anxiety.  She is a very intelligent, high-achieving child who has always been somewhat fearful, anxious and self-concious.  I also think that she may be having a mild form of night terrors because she cries out, thrashes and kicks at night but doesn't seem to wake up. However, she also has the nightmares that she does remember.  Does it sound like she is out of touch with reality?  I've also notice her humming alot and occasionally talking to herself lately and I'm not sure if I'm just looking for odd behaviors.  Along with the fear, she was much more irritable than she has ever been last week.  Things that she is used to doing - such as violin practice seemed to just be totally unbearable last week.  She made a comment during one practice that she was "getting that feeling again - that someone was drawing or painting her"  Is this perhaps a way of expressing that she feels out of control?  Please help - I am so worried about my daughter.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

You could certainly take one of two courses. You might wait a bit, see if she settles back into her normal routine and normal reactions. Or you could go ahead and arrange an evaluation. I tend to agree with the pediatrician's advice to seek the evaluation now. There's nothin to be lost by taking that route. Her baseline is one of a certain degree of anxiety, and it may be that the level has increased to the point where she is more in distress. I also think you are interpreting the nighttime behavior accurately, and on its own it requires no particular intervention.

[justme§thedog]

you might also request an evaluation for sleep disorders.  She may have night terrors, as you note, or may also have a sleep disorder that is denying her proper rest. It may also be that she's not on a good routine with the opportunity for sleep.  

Sleep deprivation can cause the same moodiness and difficulty coping you describe.  The night events (at her age) suggest she may have difficulty sleeping well overnight.  The big key for me is her extreme fear and that it's of someone in the house.  Adults with sleep disorders (therefore sleep deprived) often experience 'sleep hallucinations' (basically a lucid dream); a very common one is of an intruder in the house.  It can involve some or all of the 5 senses. It is not a nightmare - to the person experiencing it, it's very real.  

Since you will probably pursue further evaluation, I'm just suggesting that you also inquire about sleep evaluation. It's worth either ruling out or a correct diagnosis. Most cities now have programs in place for pediatric sleep disorders as drs now recognize the impact of sleep problems and the importance of appropriate treatment.

good luck!

[vmom]

thank you so much for your comment.  It's definitely a possibility and something that I would like evaluated.  Thank you again.