Aa
emetophobia ?
Hello,
We have a 16 year old daughter who has seen many physicians,
psychologists and psychiatrists over the years. We can't seem to pinpoint the
problem. There are some days we think she is suffering from something in
the abdomen, then there are other days we think she is suffering from
something in the head (something like emetophobia). But she always
complains of chronic nausea. Even though she does eat, we can't get her to
eat a balanced diet.
She had blood tests where the only parameter that was abnormal was total
bilirubin was 2.2 mg/dL (the correct range should be 0.2 thru 1.3
mg/dL) otherwise all tests negative.
Ultrasound results of the abdomen are also negative (there's no
abnormality seen in the liver, portal vein, gallbladder, bile duct,
pancreas, spleen, kidneys and no gallstones or ascites).
She was treated for depression with Zoloft (50 mg) for 5 months then
with Paxil (25 mg) for 3 years under the care of a psychiatrist. Her
greatest fear is either vomiting or seeing someone else vomiting. The
paxil did help, but since she was (gradually) taken off of it, her
condition got worse. We are reluctant to put her back on psychtropics
like paxil because of the (now) known suicides related to the "black box"
drugs.
Her phobia (and/or nausea / stomach ache) is now so great that she can't
leave the house.. even to see a doctor!
How do we break out of the endless loop?
We have a 16 year old daughter who has seen many physicians,
psychologists and psychiatrists over the years. We can't seem to pinpoint the
problem. There are some days we think she is suffering from something in
the abdomen, then there are other days we think she is suffering from
something in the head (something like emetophobia). But she always
complains of chronic nausea. Even though she does eat, we can't get her to
eat a balanced diet.
She had blood tests where the only parameter that was abnormal was total
bilirubin was 2.2 mg/dL (the correct range should be 0.2 thru 1.3
mg/dL) otherwise all tests negative.
Ultrasound results of the abdomen are also negative (there's no
abnormality seen in the liver, portal vein, gallbladder, bile duct,
pancreas, spleen, kidneys and no gallstones or ascites).
She was treated for depression with Zoloft (50 mg) for 5 months then
with Paxil (25 mg) for 3 years under the care of a psychiatrist. Her
greatest fear is either vomiting or seeing someone else vomiting. The
paxil did help, but since she was (gradually) taken off of it, her
condition got worse. We are reluctant to put her back on psychtropics
like paxil because of the (now) known suicides related to the "black box"
drugs.
Her phobia (and/or nausea / stomach ache) is now so great that she can't
leave the house.. even to see a doctor!
How do we break out of the endless loop?
No one enjoys throwing up, but I think about it, all day every day. I don't know how I become so afraid of it, I didn't get sick that much as a child, except for strep throat every year, which had nothing to do with vomitting.The only thing I can come up with is that when I was like 11 or 12 I woke up one night, on the way to the bathroom, I just threw up. I went and woke my mother up. She wasn't supportive at all, she got mad because I didn't clean it up right away and the rug was going to stain.
Over the past months, my appetite has gone way down (I'm scared I might eat too much, or something my body doesn't like) I only eat because I know I have to, and it's very tiny portions. This feeling leads to anxiety and panic attacks that I was on medication for. I only took the meds for two weeks because it always made me feel sick, which made my fear worse, which didn't help my anxiety any.
I felt really lost. Crazy. Hopeless. Alone. Scared. And I started to become depressed.
I started researching on the web for support groups and maybe some hypnosis. I also started researching for some natural ways to help yourself. What I found was breathing techniques, yoga, any type of exercise really, and talking yourself down whenever you feel truly scared. I found support groups that dont specialize in this certain phobia, but you can start one yourself or just go to a general phobia support group. Also there is a treatment called NLP that is suppose to help. Try those out, and don't let this take over your life. Though this phobia is rare, there are people who have it, like myself. Email me anytime for support.
jessica.***@****
Over the past months, my appetite has gone way down (I'm scared I might eat too much, or something my body doesn't like) I only eat because I know I have to, and it's very tiny portions. This feeling leads to anxiety and panic attacks that I was on medication for. I only took the meds for two weeks because it always made me feel sick, which made my fear worse, which didn't help my anxiety any.
I felt really lost. Crazy. Hopeless. Alone. Scared. And I started to become depressed.
I started researching on the web for support groups and maybe some hypnosis. I also started researching for some natural ways to help yourself. What I found was breathing techniques, yoga, any type of exercise really, and talking yourself down whenever you feel truly scared. I found support groups that dont specialize in this certain phobia, but you can start one yourself or just go to a general phobia support group. Also there is a treatment called NLP that is suppose to help. Try those out, and don't let this take over your life. Though this phobia is rare, there are people who have it, like myself. Email me anytime for support.
jessica.***@****
i'm also emetophobic and have been as long as i can remember. i don't understand how something like this is curable, especially by taking medication. in my opinion, nothing else can change how you feel but yourself. that doesn't make it easy though. when i was suffering from this phobia, and by that i mean when i was going to extremes, i felt hopeless and couldn't just snap out of it. it was something that took time and you have to allow yourself to take as much time as you need. as a parent you have to try to understand what she's going through. although it may be hard and it's easy to get frustrated, you can't treat her as if she's just being stupid/silly/weird/etc. i remember getting into fights with my parents all the time and it just makes it ten times worse. it humiliates and ostracizes you and especially makes you feel weak and not good enough. if you haven't done this already, tell her to take each day at a time. trying to overcome it in a day is way too overwhelming. if she has frequent panic attacks, as i did, it works well to just shut your eyes, breathe deeply, and concentrate on each breath. breaking the train of thought is the most important thing. she also needs to tell herself that it's okay and not that big of a deal while she's feeling nauseous. it seriously helps in my case, and should in hers. i honestly don't think medicine is a good solution. it may help her with the present but in the long run she's still emetophobic.. and i think it's just best to learn techniques for coping so she can have a regular life. i hope this helped in any way. like i said, i don't believe this is necessarily curable; it's just something you have to learn to deal with. be sure she understands that nothing will just instantly erase how she's feeling. and do everything you can to make her feel calm about the situation.
if you have any questions, let me know.
if you have any questions, let me know.
I have been emetophobic ever since I can remember. I used to explain it as rather breaking a bone than having to throw up. I hadn't puked since I was 16 and now I am 25. However, I had to throw up the other day. I had gone out and had too much to drink. The next day I woke up and was very sick. I started to sweat, get panicky, and freak out. I tried all that I could do to hold it back and think about something else. But it finally came up and I was ok. I kept saying to myself that this is normal, I will be fine, it happens to people all the time, and it is crazy to be this worried. I basically got angry at my fear and faced it. I felt better after and I feel better about myself. We must all face our fears. Once our minds realize that we are not afraid anymore, the amygdala becomes bored, and the fear response is limited. Trust me....facing fears really works!!!!!
WOW...I never seen a post about emetophobia....I am one to the EXTREME!!!!
I am 37 years old and the last time I vomited was when I was about 6 or 7...I don't remember having a tramatic experience with it, it was just a flu or something and I can remeber a total of three times prior and including that one (two were in a car).
Since then, slowly over the years, the fear has grown. It controls every aspect of anxiety in my life. I still function more or less normally, but I do take xanax every day for 12 years (.25 a day, and .5 or 1mg on cerain occasions, which would be instances when I am in some of the following situations).
Let me tell you how this snowballs for someone who is emetophobic. You freak out when you hear someone has a flu, you avoid them like the plague...you wash your hands with anti-bacterial wash like crazy...you do so much investing on how you catch stomach flu's of food poisining, knowing it has to be ingested...so you avoid eating out at restaurants and when you do you like to make sure they are wearing gloves and you see them prepare the food (not that will alway's matter).
You have down to a tee when a vomit scend is about to happen on TV...like a scene while people are drinking excessivly, or something might grosse them out), so you have your face covered to avoid the scene ahead of time.
You panick when a car in front of you opens their door at a stop light (they might be getting sick), you are afraid to ever get any surgery because the anestesia will make you sick and God help you if you ever have Cancer...the chemo will never be an option for me!
You have to make sure you look in a public bathroom to see if anyone's feet are facing the toilet instead of sitting on it...you have to fly in a plane in first class as to not be near too many people who may get air sick or around too many people breathing on you.
You avoid bars because of people over drinking and vomiting...you get a hotel room when your boyfreind has either a flu or hangover and he is vomiting (or you sit out in the freezing cold while he is getting sick because the house is too small and you hear everything).
You don't want to get pregnant because you might get morning sickness.
AND ALL THESE THINGS just multiply into other things but it all stems back to fear of vomiting. I know there are more things that happen to me.
I started phsycotherapy in the spring and it was discussed (I have yet to go back but it was helping). I am still very much fearful and I try to be very careful with food and handling and cleaning. I think that if I get more therapy it will eventually go away, but it has been so strong for so many years, it is so deeply dreaded...but I can function mostly normally. Fortunatly I have a very understanding boyfreind who accepts that I have these isms and it's just the way I am.
If your daughter wants to discuss this, please have her e-mail me, I'd be happy to tell her my fears...sometimes talking about it with other fearers may not help to cure the problem but help to take steps to take charge of it!
good luck, Maria...***@****
I am 37 years old and the last time I vomited was when I was about 6 or 7...I don't remember having a tramatic experience with it, it was just a flu or something and I can remeber a total of three times prior and including that one (two were in a car).
Since then, slowly over the years, the fear has grown. It controls every aspect of anxiety in my life. I still function more or less normally, but I do take xanax every day for 12 years (.25 a day, and .5 or 1mg on cerain occasions, which would be instances when I am in some of the following situations).
Let me tell you how this snowballs for someone who is emetophobic. You freak out when you hear someone has a flu, you avoid them like the plague...you wash your hands with anti-bacterial wash like crazy...you do so much investing on how you catch stomach flu's of food poisining, knowing it has to be ingested...so you avoid eating out at restaurants and when you do you like to make sure they are wearing gloves and you see them prepare the food (not that will alway's matter).
You have down to a tee when a vomit scend is about to happen on TV...like a scene while people are drinking excessivly, or something might grosse them out), so you have your face covered to avoid the scene ahead of time.
You panick when a car in front of you opens their door at a stop light (they might be getting sick), you are afraid to ever get any surgery because the anestesia will make you sick and God help you if you ever have Cancer...the chemo will never be an option for me!
You have to make sure you look in a public bathroom to see if anyone's feet are facing the toilet instead of sitting on it...you have to fly in a plane in first class as to not be near too many people who may get air sick or around too many people breathing on you.
You avoid bars because of people over drinking and vomiting...you get a hotel room when your boyfreind has either a flu or hangover and he is vomiting (or you sit out in the freezing cold while he is getting sick because the house is too small and you hear everything).
You don't want to get pregnant because you might get morning sickness.
AND ALL THESE THINGS just multiply into other things but it all stems back to fear of vomiting. I know there are more things that happen to me.
I started phsycotherapy in the spring and it was discussed (I have yet to go back but it was helping). I am still very much fearful and I try to be very careful with food and handling and cleaning. I think that if I get more therapy it will eventually go away, but it has been so strong for so many years, it is so deeply dreaded...but I can function mostly normally. Fortunatly I have a very understanding boyfreind who accepts that I have these isms and it's just the way I am.
If your daughter wants to discuss this, please have her e-mail me, I'd be happy to tell her my fears...sometimes talking about it with other fearers may not help to cure the problem but help to take steps to take charge of it!
good luck, Maria...***@****
I personally think the best thing to do in your situation is to help comfort her and to brush it off as a benign problem that she is making a big deal. My reasoning for this is, because I am 15 years old and i am a male (very close in age) and I have been diagnosed with depression and anxiety disorders. What makes things worse is the feeling that my problem is a major problem. When my parents will not stop talking about it, when i am constantly being bugged to see doctors is when i get most depressed. You say she believes she has stomach problems. If she is constantly thinking and dwelling on the idea that she has something serious wrong with her, her brain will start to believe that there is, falling her into possibly deeper depression and future disorders. I think that this might be a mix of a phobia along with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Remember, it could always be worse. I am 15 and have been to the ER several times with heart problems and i have a phobia of the beating of the heart ( when i think about it, it beats faster, and so on). The only thing that makes me feel better is to watch other people, read other things, focus on schoolwork, sports, anything but the thought of my medical condition, and it works better than any medication. HOPE THIS HELPS! :D
-Spencer
-Spencer
oh boy, I notice she won't go anywhere. Usually last resort is psychiatric hospital which I wud hope she doesn't have to do. Maybe you have to consider the pros/cons associated w/ paxil. If she was ok for 3 yrs on it why would she all of the sudden do something out of the ordinary? Maybe the risk is worth taking paxil? You have to think about pros/cons. Just monitor her closely when she's on Paxil. Did she "not want to get off Paxil?" My guess is she did not want to get off it.
I notice you tried to rule out factors that were physical things. Such as going to physicians when she experiences something unusual. Yes, that's good and responsible; however, sometimes it's a coping factor for depression such as diverting attention to something else and manifesting it into something huge when it is just a growling stomach. I'm not surprised psychiatrists have not helped her with anything except medication. I think if she saw a psychologist to talk more about what is inside her mind and heart she will recover in a healthier way. I see Paxil worked, I do understand your fears of suicide risks and they are very VALID, I had that impulse when I was on Prozac and fortunately woke up (meaning I got out of my ?trance?) before jumping off a bridge because it was shaking so badly from cars driving on it (I felt very puzzled as to why I was about to jump, and was like what am I doing? needless to say I quit the medication and when I got home from that experience I felt unsafe alone so I locked myself in the bathroom til my parents got home). So, I am thinking you can ask for other options like valium would help w/ her anxiety. And it's probably safer than paxil. Just a thought. Some people say Depression is anger turned inwards... I think sometimes it is a lot of things bottled up and kept inside. Or, it can come from fears that are overwhelming life. So that's why I was saying it could have been anxiety first or the depression first. Either way, I do hope she gets help soon. I would avoid anti-depressants/anti-psychotic meds and/or especially Klonopin because I'm addicted to Klonopin and have been for 10 years. I've been able to get off lithium, valium easier than Klonopin. I'm not saying valium is not addictive, it is but I believe it is safer than Klonopin because Klonopin will cause seizures if stopped abruptly along with a lot of unpleasant side effects. Valium, can be stopped safely. Ok, hope this helped.. I don't know where the forum's MD (medical Doctor) is, usually he/she shud answer your primary question..
Sounds like it's part of her depression or the other way around. I'm not sure which came first her anxious behavior or if her depression caused the anxiety/phobias. It can work either way, usually medication does help; however, sometimes it can increase other symtoms that are unpleasant and increase anxiety. Usually, antidepresants will make a person very "nervous" or have "extra energy." I've found that to be the case with Prozac when I was a teenager. I had to get off that to stop the anxiety. However, if she's depressed I'm not sure if it's from her fears or if the depression caused her to have fears. Hope she sees someone soon. I think it helps a lot if she is able to communicate her true fears and know she will not be rejected or shunned. I know that you're her mom and you would never do that, but remembering myself as a teenager, my greatest fear was not being able to be honest with my parents because I felt they would stop loving me or be so mad at me. There might be other things that she has kept inside and cannot express it to anyone and that could keep her in her cycle of phobias/depression. It's not anyone's fault, just it would be good to have her know that she can share her feelings in a safe environment without fears of being rejected. Hope she starts to improve. Again, I'm not a doctor and think she does need to see one, but also know that she'll be accepted and loved by you no matter what she says.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
You mentioned medications, but have you tried psychotherapy. That is what is called for, and especially if she won't leave the house, you will have to act fast before not leaving the house becomes an even bigger problem than it already is. She needs someone who understands eating disorders and phobias.. Don't rely on medications for this...its insight into her developmental stuckedness that she needs to get moving again.
Is she depressed?
Yes, she was diagnosed with depression.
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