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Understanding Emetophobia, The Fear of Throwing Up with Chrissie Hodges

Parents often grapple with what may have caused their child to become so deathly afraid of throwing up. They come up with theories. Maybe it was the time she saw her cousin throw up? Or maybe it was the time she got sick in the car? Or maybe it was the time she got food poisoning?

But in reality, the fear of throwing up (also known as Emetophobia) just happens.

Kids who are genetically prone to anxiety or OCD are at a higher risk of developing Emetophobia. Yes, it can be triggered by an external event, but the genetic seeds are usually just waiting to sprout. Events often only trigger what was already waiting in the wings.

Just think about how many times people have seen others throw up or who have had bad experiences throwing up themselves. Most of those people don’t develop a severe fear of throw up.

Emetophobia is just one of many ways anxiety and OCD can manifest.

So how do you help your child with Emetophobia? Often it is the opposite of what you would think.

I invited Chrissie Hodges to the AT Parenting Survival Podcast to discuss her life long battle with Emetophobia. Chrissie has been a powerful advocate for those suffering with OCD. She is a mental health advocate and speaker and provides OCD peer support and consultation.

She was awarded the 2017 International OCD Foundation’s Advocacy Hero Award for all of her work. She is the author of Pure O: The Invisible Side of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and is the Executive Director of OCD Game Changers, an international non-profit group dedicated to helping people with OCD, their families and providers.

To listen to our interview click below:

YouTube Video for Kids & Teens on Emetophobia:

Other Resources on the Fear of Throwing Up:

PSP 106: The Fear of Throwing Up: Parenting Do’s and Don’ts to Help Your Child with Emetophobia

PSP 035: Emetophobia: When Kids Fear Throwing Up

Ask the Child Therapist Episode 67 Kids Edition: When Anxiety Makes You Feel Sick: How to Deal with Nausea and the Fear of Throwing Up

Fear of Vomiting or Emetophobia

Understanding Emetophobia or Fear of Vomit: How to Overcome it with Treatment

Books on Emetophobia:

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Below is a Full Transcript of the Episode:

Click anywhere on the text to be taken to that part of the show and hear it. Please excuse any inaccuracies, as this is automatically generated and may have errors.