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Bullying Kids With Food Allergies

Bullying Kids With Food Allergies

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Imagine being a child who lives with severe food allergies. Ingesting even the tiniest amount of the allergen (or having it touch your skin) can be enough to trigger anaphylaxis, which can kill you. Your condition is so severe that you must extremely vigilant about your food and you carry an epinephrine injector everywhere you go in case your inadvertently miss something and begin having trouble breathing or your throat starts to close. Now imagine fellow students bullying you because of your life-threatening allergies or having a fellow student force you to touch or eat the food that might kill you. It sounds far-fetched in view of the danger, but that’s a real life scenario for approximately 31.5% of children with food allergies, according to a 2013 study reported in Pediatrics.

These children are being singled out for harassment and are more than twice as likely to be bullied specifically because their food allergies.

Food Intolerance or Food Allergy?

5.9 million kids in the U. S. have food allergies. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that “among children aged 0–17 years, the prevalence of food allergies increased from 3.4% in 1997–1999 to 5.1% in 2009–2011”. That means about 1 child out of every 13 in a given classroom has a food allergy.

According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, food allergies occur “when your body’s natural defenses overreact to exposure to a particular substance, treating it as an invader and sending out chemicals to defend against it.”

A true food allergy isn’t the same as the more common food intolerances we think of when we avoid a certain food because it will negatively affect our body (for example: lactose intolerance). Instead, food allergies trigger a person’s immune system, sending it into overdrive. This overreaction can bring on symptoms ranging from mild (like hives, itchiness, or gastric problems) all the way up to anaphylaxis, which can be life-threatening.

Food allergy reactions can start in as little as two minutes and as long as two hours after eating or touching the food. The Mayo Clinic reports that the most common food allergy signs and symptoms include:

  • Tingling or itching in the mouth
  • Hives, itching or eczema
  • Swelling of the lips, face, tongue and throat or other parts of the body
  • Wheezing, nasal congestion or trouble breathing
  • Abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea or vomiting
  • Dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting

Anaphylaxis

In some people, a food allergy can trigger a severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. This can cause life-threatening signs and symptoms, including:

  • Constriction and tightening of the airways
  • A swollen throat or the sensation of a lump in your throat that makes it difficult to breathe
  • Shock with a severe drop in blood pressure
  • Rapid pulse
  • Dizziness, lightheadedness or loss of consciousness

Emergency treatment is critical for anaphylaxis. Untreated, anaphylaxis can cause a coma or even death.

Impact of Food Allergy Bullying

Often, kids think it is funny to tease and bully kids who have food allergies. This may be because they don’t really understand what can happen to children who have severe food allergies, although older kids and teens clearly have an idea. A 2018 New York Times article reported that a parent stated on Twitter that his son was “taunted by ‘friends’ with a PB & J sandwich,” who said, “‘let’s see if he dies.’” In other cases, “children with food allergies have had milk poured over them, peanuts waved in their faces, cake thrown at them, and peanut butter smeared on them.”

This harassment and stress can cause allergic children to fear school, leading to school refusal, and can make them depressed or cause them to isolate themselves socially. Parental involvement can help keep down the attacks, but children only report the harassment to their parents about 52.1% of the time. Additionally, teachers often make insensitive remarks or single-out and exclude children with food allergies from certain activities or school functions, further contributing to the child’s feelings of isolation and anxiety.

Increasingly, there have been legal consequences for food allergy bullying. In 2017, a 13 year-old U. K. boy was arrested for attempted murder after flicking a piece of cheese into a fellow student’s mouth, causing an anaphylactic reaction that led to the victim’s death. That same year in the U. S., a Michigan student with a peanut allergy (who was unconscious due to a hazing incident) was smeared in the face with peanut butter, resulting in an anaphylactic reaction. Thankfully, he later recovered, but the perpetrator pleaded guilty to assault and battery charges.

What Should Parents Do?

  • Know what’s going on by staying involved at your child’s school.
  • Know the signs of bullying: your child refuses to go to school, has stomach aches, stops talking about peers or friends, their grades may drop, or their sleep patterns may change.
  • Teach your child what to do if they are being bullied – make sure they know they should tell the school nurse or their teacher. Also teach them to tell you. Studies show that children experience a reduction or cessation in bullying if a parent knows they are being bullied.
  • Discuss your child’s allergies and their severity with the school principal and with your child’s teacher before your child starts the school year. Find out about the school’s anti-bullying policies and the procedures for handling an incident.
  • Seek help from your child’s friends and classmates. They will often see things a teacher may not and can report any threats to your child’s teacher or warn your child of impending danger.
  • Teach your children compassion and caring so they learn it’s not funny to bully others and that people can be hurt or can die from what might seem like a harmless prank.

Get Help for Bullying

It’s important to seek help as soon as possible if your child becomes the target of food allergy bullying. For more information about how a child psychologist at the Children’s Center can help your child stand up to bullying, contact the Children’s Center for Psychiatry, Psychology and Related Services in Delray Beach, Florida or call us today at (561) 223-6568.

 

Article Resources

https://www.allergicliving.com/2017/09/06/michigan-student-pleads-guilty-in-peanut-butter-face-smearing-case/

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/15/well/family/in-allergy-bullying-food-can-hurt.html

https://snacksafely.com/2017/07/food-allergy-bullying-leads-to-death-of-13-year-old-boy-arrest-of-another/

 

 

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Signs Your Child May be a Hypochondriac

Signs Your Child May be a Hypochondriac

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A hypochondriac is someone who lives with the fear that they have a serious, but undiagnosed medical condition, even though diagnostic tests show there is nothing wrong with them. Hypochondriacs experience extreme anxiety from the bodily responses most people take for granted. For example, they may be convinced that something as simple as a sneeze is the sign they have a horrible disease.

Hypochondria accounts for about five percent of outpatient medical care annually. More than 200,000 people are diagnosed with hypochondria (also known as health anxiety or illness anxiety disorder) each year. While health anxiety generally begins in early adulthood, children can also experience hypochondria.

Hypochondriac Symptoms

True hypochondria is a mental health disorder. Hypochondria may show up in a child after they or someone they know has gone through an illness or a serious medical condition. Its symptoms can vary, depending on factors such as stress, age, and whether the person is already an extreme worrier.

In children, hypochondriac symptoms may include:

·         Regularly checking themselves for any sign of illness

·         Telling you about a new physical complaint almost every day

·         Fearing that anything from a runny nose to a gurgle in their gut is the sign of a serious illness

·         Frequently asking their parent to take them to the doctor

·         Asking to have their temperature taken daily (or more than once per day)

·         Talking excessively about their health

·         Happily wearing bandages like badges of honor, has one on almost constantly

·         May focus excessively on things most children typically don’t: a certain disease (example: cancer) or a certain body part (example: worrying about a brain tumor if they have a headache)

·         Having frequent pains or finds lumps that no one else can feel

·         Fearing being around people who are sick

Health anxiety can actually have its own symptoms because it’s possible for the child to have stomachaches, dizziness, or pain as a result of their overwhelming anxiety. In fact, illness anxiety can take over a hypochondriac’s life to the point that worrying and living in fear are so stressful, the child refuses to go to school or participate in outside activities.

You may be wondering what triggers hypochondria. Although there really isn’t an exact cause, we do know that people with illness anxiety are more likely to have a family member who is also a hypochondriac. The child with health anxiety may have gone through a serious illness and fear that their bad experience may be repeated. Or, they may already be suffering from a mental health condition and their hypochondria may be part of it.

Hypochondriac Treatment

Self-help for child hypochondria can include:

  • Letting your child know that sometimes focusing too much on being sick can cause anxiety that makes their bodily sensation worse
  • Trying to not talk about your own aches or pains in front of your child
  • Helping your child learn stress management and relaxation techniques
  • Encouraging older children to avoid online searches for the possible meanings behind their symptoms
  • Focusing on outside activities such as a hobby they enjoy
  • Working to help your child recognize that the physical signs they experience are not a symptom of something ominous, but are actually normal bodily sensations

Professional treatments for hypochondria include:

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which is very helpful for reducing patient fears. In this type of therapy, the child learns to recognize and understand the false beliefs that set off their anxiety. Research has shown that CBT successfully teaches hypochondriacs to identify what triggers their behavior and gives them coping skills to help them manage it.
  • Behavioral stress management or exposure therapy may be helpful
  • Psychotropic medications, such as anti-depressants, are sometimes used to treat health anxiety disorder

Get Help for Hypochondria and Health Anxiety Disorder

Being a hypochondriac negatively affects the lives of the child who suffers from it.  The child psychologists at the Children’s Center for Psychiatry, Psychology and Related Services in Delray Beach, Florida are experienced in helping those with illness anxiety. For more information, contact us or call us today at (561) 223-6568.

Reference: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/198437

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13 Reasons Why

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Following the Netflix release of 13 Reasons Why in 2017, many mental health, suicide prevention, and education experts from around the world expressed a common concern about the series’ graphic content and portrayal of difficult issues facing youth. Resources and tools to address these concerns were quickly and widely disseminated in an effort to help parents, educators, clinical professionals and other adults engage in conversations with youth about the themes found in the show.

In advance of the release of season 2, SAVE (Suicide Awareness Voices of Education) brought together a group of 75 leading experts in mental health, suicide prevention and education as well as healthcare professionals (see full list below) to develop tools to help encourage positive responses to the series. In just a few short months, this group has developed a toolkit providing practical guidance and reliable resources for parents, educators, clinicians, youth and media related to the content of the series (suicide, school violence, sexual assault, bullying, substance abuse, etc.).

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Using the toolkit and resources developed will help to encourage conversations, identify those at risk and prevent unexpected tragedies. Hopefully, it will also help those in need get the appropriate level of support and professional care to ensure that youth are protected, nurtured and our communities are stronger.

Dan Reidenberg

Executive Director – SAVE

SAVE especially thanks the following sub-group leaders in this effort:

Katherine C. Cowan

Christopher Drapeau

Frances Gonzalez

Sansea Jacobson

Matthew Wintersteen

ABOUT

The organizations listed below represent thousands of mental health and suicide prevention, education experts and healthcare professionals from around the world with decades of experience working with youth, parents, schools and communities.

SAVE thanks the following organizations for their participation in this effort:

  • American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
  • American Association for Emergency Psychiatry
  • American Association of Suicidology
  • American Psychiatric Association
  • Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention
  • Befrienders Worldwide
  • British Psychological Society
  • Danish Research Institute for Suicide Prevention
  • International Association for Suicide Prevention
  • International Academy for Suicide Research
  • Medical University of Vienna, Center for Public Health, Dept of Social and Preventive Medicine
  • Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand
  • National Association of School Psychologists
  • National Council for Behavioral Health
  • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (USA)
  • National Suicide Research Foundation (Ireland)
  • Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Australia
  • Prevention Communities
  • Samaritans UK
  • Stanford Psychiatry’s Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing
  • School of Public Health, University College Cork, Ireland
  • Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide
  • Suicidal Behaviour Research Laboratory, University of Glasgow, Scotland
  • Suicide Awareness Voices of Education
  • The Jason Foundation
  • The Jed Foundation (JED)
  • The Lancet Psychiatry
  • The Trevor Project
  • University of Michigan Psychiatric Emergency Services

https://www.13reasonswhytoolkit.org/

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Dermatillomania (Skin Picking Disorder)

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While it’s simply “being human” to occasionally pick at your skin, at calluses, or at the cuticles on your fingers, when a person obsessively self-grooms, it could be a sign of dermatillomania or excoriation disorder. In layman’s terms, this is a skin picking disorder. The condition is a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder and is one of a group of body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRB). Dermatillomania damages skin and is characterized by compulsively picking, touching, pulling, rubbing, digging into, scratching, or even biting at one’s own skin as a way to get rid of perceived skin irregularities.

Signs of Dermatillomania

Research shows that anywhere between 2% and 5% of people compulsively pick at their skin. Females make up about 75% of those who are diagnosed with excoriation disorder. Skin picking can begin at any age, but commonly shows up in adolescence or at the onset of puberty. The condition made come and go over time, and the location the person picks at may change, but the disorder is generally chronic.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) signs and symptoms of dermatillomania include:

  • Skin picking that results in visible lesions, skin damage, scars and possibly disfigurement
  • The person has made repeated, unsuccessful attempts to stop picking at their skin
  • The symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment
  • The symptoms are not caused by a medical or dermatologic condition or by a substance (example: opiate withdrawal)
  • The signs and symptoms are not better explained by another psychiatric disorder

Picking at the skin can cause anxiety, depression and embarrassment in those who have dermatillomania. They may attempt to cover their skin lesions with makeup or clothing and may avoid situations in which their condition may be discovered. This can lead to isolation and emotional distress, which can increase the risk of having a mood or anxiety disorder in addition to their dermatillomania. Another complication can be the need for medical care because it isn’t uncommon for the person to get a skin infection, open wound, or scars from picking too much.

Treatment for Skin Picking Disorder

It is thought that fewer than one in five people will seek treatment for excoriation disorder, however Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is very helpful for those who do. CBT helps patients identify the negative or inaccurate thoughts, feelings and behaviors that have become problematic and teaches them how to challenge and change their reaction to them.

While the main therapy for dermatillomania is behavioral therapy, medication is sometimes used to reduce the feelings that lead to compulsive skin picking. Although psychiatric medications have limited success, there are some people who benefit from temporary use of them, particularly if they have a concurrent condition, such as anxiety or depression. Additionally, some skin medications can help the underlying condition (such as acne) that causes the individual to pick at their skin.

As a family member, it can be difficult to be supportive of a person with dermatillomania or other BFRBs. The behavior can strain relationships with friends and family. Remember to communicate with patience and empathy and remain calm when talking to the person. If you feel overwhelmed, join a support group or explore the resources in self-help groups or in books on the subject.

Get Help for Dermatillomania

For more information about how a child psychologist at the Children’s Center can help your child overcome skin picking, contact the Children’s Center for Psychiatry, Psychology and Related Services in Delray Beach, Florida or call us today at (561) 223-6568.

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Treatment Resistant Panic Disorder

ADAA Session Recording -Treatment Resistant Panic Disorder

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Our team presented at the 2018 ADAA Conference on Treatment Resistant Panic Disorder: A Multidisciplinary Multimodality Approach. You can access the audio recording of our session here with the below login credentials.

Username: arosen1980@aol.com

Password: 1667947

We hope you find the recording of our presentation helpful and informative!

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LGBTQ Teens and Their Mental Health Risks

LGBTQ Teens and Their Mental Health Risks

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It’s only been in the last twenty years or so that young people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer/questioning (LGBTQ) have become more open about their sexuality. For many of these youths, their fear of not being accepted by their families and peers kept them from telling anyone about their orientation until they were adults. Recently, however, these teens have found more access to support through an increase in social acceptance, internet communities, school diversity programs, and youth groups for LGBTQ adolescents. These resources have allowed them to feel more comfortable with their sexual orientation and helped them come out to others at a younger age than in the past. Even though LGBTQ teens are finding more support, however, they still face unique mental health risks.

LGBTQ Teens Face Mental Health Concerns

Despite the fact that identifying as LGBTQ has become more socially acceptable, a gay teen has a disproportionately higher amount of mental health concerns than their heterosexual counterpart. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that LGBTQ teens have an increased risk of personal violence:

  • 34% reported being bullied on school grounds
  • 23% had experienced sexual dating violence within the past year
  • 18% had experienced sexual dating violence

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that sexual minorities, such as LGBTQ teens, face not only chronic stress from their stigmatized identities, but also victimization, prejudice, and discrimination. How much these external stressors affect these youths depends on their own negative internalization of their sexual orientation, their expectation or personal experience with discrimination or rejection, and their ability to cope with these stressors.

Studies have also shown that teens and adolescents who identify as LGBTQ are at greater risk for mental health problems across all developmental stages. Among other things, they have:

  • A suicide risk that is nearly three times higher than that of heterosexual youths
  • Higher rates of suicide ideation
  • Elevated rates of anxiety and depression
  • Almost 18% of lesbian and gay youth participants met the criteria for major depression
  • 3% met the criteria for PTSD in the previous 12 months
  • 31% of the LGBT sample reported suicidal behavior at some point in their life

How Parents Can Support Their LGBTQ Teen

Positive parenting behaviors can have a huge impact on an LGBTQ teen’s mental and physical health, both now and in the future. When parents show their child they are valued, their teens have healthier mental and emotional outcomes. Not unsurprisingly, the CDC reports that parental rejection has been linked to drug and alcohol use, risky sexual behavior, and depression in LGBTQ youths.

As a parent, you can support your LGBTQ teen in many ways:

  • Provide support by relating to your child respectfully and without judgement. This begins with you taking the time to come to terms with your child’s sexual orientation when they first tell you about it.
  • Talk and listen to your child. Open, honest conversations help your teen feel loved and accepted. By communication openly, you can guide your child into making good decisions that will help them avoid risky sexual behaviors and putting themselves into unsafe situations.
  • Stay involved with your child. Knowing their friends, who they are dating, and what they are up to can help your child feel cared for and safe.
  • Be proactive and seek out organizations and support groups for your teen (and for yourself, if necessary).
  • If you think your child is depressed or in need of mental health support, speak with a school counselor, a social worker, child psychologist or other mental health professional.

Learn More about Supporting Your LGBTQ Teen

For more information about how you can support your LGBTQ youth, contact the Children’s Center for Psychiatry Psychology and Related Services in Delray Beach, Florida or call us today at (561) 223-6568.

 

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