Can my daughter b e a hypercondriac

[StephS629]

My daughter is 6 years old. She is constantly thinking that there is something seriously wrong with her. I have been called to school three times and we have made two trips to the hospital in the last two weeks alone only to find there is nothing wrong with her. I do not understand this where this could be coming from. Some people have suggested that she does it for attention, but she is, some consider, spoiled. She is an only child, we have dinner all together at the table at least 4 times a week, myself or dad pick her up and drop her off at school every day, and I often join her for lunch at school. She spends weekends with my mother which I sometimes question as my mother is medicated for depression and highly emotional but not dangerous in any way. They enjoy each others company so i feel guilty keeping them away from each other. But I have noticed that my daughter has become increasingly sensitive in the last month or so and the thinking something is serioulsy wrong with her(crying and begging to go to the hospital) has come to a head that is costing way to much. I just don't know what to do. I don't want to ignore her and not take her to the doctor and have something really be wrong with her but I also can not continue to have her miss school and spend this much on doctor and hospital visits that only turn up nothing. Should i have her see a child psyc. or just try not to endorse the behavior by taking her to the doctors.

[mammo]

I agree with the above posts. They may want to see each other every weekend, but this is family time.  You and your husband should be doing special things with her, and even include grandma.  Have grandma come for dinner, and let her baby her....that's what grandmas do.  Spending too much time with your mother is proving to not be such a good idea, so you need to get more creative in how and when they see each other.  My kids grandmother wanted them every weekend, I gave her Sunday afternoons, because the weekends were for us to do things together and they were all fine with it.

[allmymarbles]

Grandmas may be benevolent but not always a good influence. The fact is that you don't know exactly what goes on between them. Why not invite your mother to stay with you on a Saturday or Sunday? That will tell you a lot. And if she is the one inculcating this fear on the part of your daughter you will know how to handle it.

[RockRose]

It does sound like she's doing it for attention.  Hypochondriacs are obsessed with believing they are sick - they worry about it constantly and talk about very specific symptoms.  It's on their mind constantly,  and they can't enjoy life because of this fear of being ill.  If someone near them is sick they panic that they will catch the sickness,  even if it's something that's not contagious,  and then they believe they HAVE caught it and can't stop talking about it.  

I'm not sensing that with your daughter.  It sounds like she gets a LOT of positive attention from Grandma for physical pains and ailments.  

I wouldn't send her over there every weekend.  Maybe have grandma over for dinner once during the week and allow her to take your daughter for an outing on the weekends.  It doesn't sound like she's a positive influence,  although they do love each other.

Best wishes.

[StephS629]

I do not send her away, I just want that to be clear. She asks toward the end of every week when can I go see grandma and grandma calls to see when is my grandkid coming putting me in a tough place not wanting to hurt either of their sensitive feelings. I don't always want her to go because I do believe grandmother has something to do with her hyper sensitivity because she babys her. Even when i'm there if she bumps her head at home shes fine its a bump she gets up and plays again. At grandma's she bumps and goes crying to grandma who in turn says oh poor baby and holds and rocks and makes a big deal of. I have asked her to stop and threatened to just keep them away from each other but then i am made out to be the "evil" mother.  Should I really just keep them away from each other.

[RockRose]

Why do you send her away from home every weekend to spend her precious relaxing weekends with a depressed and highly emotional grandmother?

I would think she needs weekends at home to relax and not be sent away every time.

Hypochondria results from anxiety.  My guess is your daughter could benefit from being able to stay in her own home on her time off from school.