[Katica]

Honestly, I`m not sure if this is the right place to post. Please, move if needed.
I don`t know where to turn with my 8-year-old son`s issues.
Some background. He`s always been a sensitive kid with a tendency to dwell on the negatives in life. He complains a lot and his cup is always half-full at best.

For the past few weeks/months he`s been complaining of stomach issues. He would feel nauseated a lot and complain of stomach pain. Lately, he`s been feeling dizzy and just plain unwell. He would mostly feel sick before school or other social activities. It has gotten to the point where he does not want to go to school and getting him to leave in the morning is very difficult.
He says there are a couple of kids at school who pick on him and he is afraid of them. We are now dealing with that aspect and the school is involved. His teacher is a very loving, friendly lady who says she would keep a very close eye on him.
Problem his anxiety issues are not limited to school. He also feels anxious about going to church or going out in general.
I live in my husband`s country and am generally in the dark about where to even start getting him the help he needs. And to top it off I have major anxiety myself sometimes to the point that I have a hard time functioning. I`m afraid ( and have a load of guilt about) that my anxiety plays a huge part in his.
I`m open to any advice from supplements to ways of coping/dealing with anxiety in little children. I`ve read some things online but it just seems too general.
TIA

 

[Evelynflower]

get him tested for lyme disease. Lyme disease causes major anxiety and general unwellness. If you get him tested the best test is the igenex. Good luck

 

[heatherweh]

If you look up anxiety disorders children you can see if he seems to meet all the criteria for any.

DS has Generalized Anxiety Disorder as a comorbid disorder second to his PDD NOS (autism) diagnosis. He went through the entire spectrum of anxiety disorders. It has always caused him to not function well in..well, life. He refused to separate from me (separation anxiety), then refused to speak in PreK and K (selective mutism), he has had terror of dogs so that he would not want to leave the house, now he worries about plane crashes and car accidents. He twists his hair, picks at his cuticles, and scrapes his lips.

I finally have him on Zoloft for anxiety- a pediatric psychology team prescribed it. It does help. I am hoping it helps him cope better at school.

 

[Katica]

Thank you both for your kind answer :stillheart

We are still struggling. He doesn`t want to go to school. Doesn`t want to go to piano lessons. He is afraid at the store. He constantly complains of nausea and stomach ache. Refuses to do his homework. Well, he does eventually end up going to school and does end up doing his homework but it takes sooo much energy on our part.

We took him to the doctor last week and they did a fairly throrough abdominal ultrasound and found nothing that would cause the pain. That was somewhat of a relief but something is still causing the discomfort.
We are going to set up a meeting with the school counselor who only comes once every week or so. :eyesroll Just one babystep at a time.

Heather--does Zoloft have any side effects? That`s one thing I`m always afraid of. But I know the current situation needs to be addressed somehow.

 

[Linda on the move]

My DD also has an anxiety disorder comorbid with PDD-NOS. It's been worse at different stages of life. She always has anxiety, but at times it is fairly manageable and at times it dominates everything. I'm a fan of meds, too. We've had trouble getting them right because the one that works well for her also causes her to feel tired, so it's tricky.


I do understand how a few simple, basic life activities can completely take over life. My only advice is to keep everything else to a minimum, do make a note of anything this is actually fun for the child and repeat that. (for awhile, that was limited to picking up take out Chinese food for my dd). Don't assume that where the child is right now is where they will get stuck.