How did you tell your parents?

[kommes]

For some reason I really want to tell my parents about this phobia. I think they deserve to know about it. I never had any problems before when i was a child so I dont usually go to them and "talk" about stuff. And now this would be dumping a lot of info on them and would be totally out of the blue. They might find it hard to grasp what I tell them.

[ankitchens]

haha my parents have known about it forever.....even though they arent scared like me they try their best to understand! and im sure your parents will too

i just hear all the time about how little of a problem it is and we complaining about it gets annoying.....but hey what do you do??

[kelbert]

Tell the, you will feel so better. I told my mum on her own first and just explainmed that since i was twelve i have feared it to the point it is noow a phobia and ruining my life. she didn't totally understand as she does not fear it like me but she tries her best to understand. Then i let her tell my dad. He has been great too.

It was one of the best things i have ever done and now if i need their support they are there for me where as when they didn't know i never had their support.

I would recommend anyone to tell their parents. Everyone needs that little help to deal with this horrible phobia.

[katsamsmom3]

my mom always knew i was scared of v when i was a child....but did not fully understand my fear until i was an adult and found the name of the phobia and gave them info on it. It really helped them understand.

[jsloan]

yeah they will be cool with it!!! I just told my mother the other day!!! I am 32, she was like just calm down and was really cool. Also talked to my Dr about it. He was even cooler!!!! So I felt better, you need to talk to them about it.....it will help you all to understand each other better and make you feel better about it!

[prncesspnk]

i never had to tell them. they've always known!

[vixki]

I would like to tell my mum about the phobia... it would help with so much, literally, I have had so much problems with it but I have never said the real reason. Not even to my many psychiatrists. Obviously my mum knows that I freak over illnesses but I think she thinks its just general illness, pain, etc, but its not.
I dunno how to tell her though because its not really something that is easy to discuss. Besides then she'd try and get me into therapy and all therapists I've ever been to have been obsessed by the whole 'gradual exposure' thing, which is freaky...

[sootywillow]

I think my parents knew when aged 3 I refused to have anything more to do
with our dog after i had thrown up all over the garden and hid at the bottom
of the bed with my fingers in my ears when my brother was ill. However,
them knowing never really helped as they just used to tease me about it and
laugh at me when I was petrified, telling me not to be 'so silly' and to 'pull
myself together'. That helped alot.

[socitycourty]

I have told my mom and she doesn't really understand. I'm 26 so I kind of keep it to myself, I've told my husband and he is understanding, but he doesn't understand the phobia itself. He v*s quite a lot and does not have any problem with it.

In the long run therapy might be the better option. Once you tell someone, you can't take it back. And if they're not sympathetic, you'll just feel worse.

[driftinggoddess]

my parents know because i have had this since grade school and i have my littel break downs, freak outs whatever you want to call them, its where i start crying getting over worked complain ask millions of questions etc. i would just be straight forward with them tell them something like. i have a problem i would like you know about, im looking for your support and that is why i am coming to you, but i suffer from emetophobia fear of vomiting, i would like help and i am trying to get help.

[abbey_16]

im the same ive never had to tell my parents they have always known but just sit them down and explain it in a way you think they might understand... im sure they can understand and will be supportive over it [img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]

[driftinggoddess]

parents are USUALY supportive! instead mine are ass holes about my problem and kee telling me i need to check into TwoWest (mental health area at the local hospital) my mom keeps threatening me about bringing me there, and my parents trash talk me about my problem. i shrug it off and say ohwell, my fiance is the most supportive person with my problem

[alycat27]

Yeah, my mom used to get pissed at me when I was younger and would get mad at my sister for getting carsick for the millionth time. When I mentioned to her a few months ago that I could possibly be an emet she thought I was being mellow dramatic [img]smileys/smilies_05.gif[/img]

[ejb199]

my parents always knew i was overly worried about being sick and when i was a kid they spent a lot of time taking me to doctors and psychiatrists. they never really "got" the phobia tho and still dont know. im 28 now. i just dont ever mention it to them and if i have in the past, i always end up rowing with my dad coz he seems to think that am an "intelligent 28 year old" who needs to grow up and snap out of it. not very helpful at all and always ends in tears. i just realise now that there is no point in talking to them about it. they really dont have a clue as to the full extent that it impacts my life. the only person who does is my hubby, since he has to put up with me every damn day :-( mum is a little more understanding but i think my whole family just think im nuts really - they dont take it at all seriously.

[ejb199]

sootywillow - your parents sound just like mine lol. i remember once when i was a kid, someone was sick on casualty, the tv programm and i was so upset by it and had to go sit in the garden - they all thought i was being silly.

then when my little sister was sick really badly when i was about 18 and she was about 16, i wouldnt go near her. instead they told me i was selfish and should stop being a baby and go hug my sister and make her feel better. i remember walking out the house and staying with my boyfriend at the time for about 3 days!! sister was so sick we had to throw out the bathroom flooring! she got bad FP i think when she went on a school trip to france and had eaten snails/frogs legs and stuff....

[sage]

I could NEVER tell my parents when I was young. I'd want to, even try to, but something stopped me and made it impossible. Now I know that that something was SHAME.

Hopefully this website assures people that they are not alone and that this phobia is nothing to be ashamed of! I wish I'd had it when I was a young person!

Perhaps go to my website and print out the INFORMATION article to give to your parents to read. I wrote it with such a use in mind.

Take care

[xmdslatx]

my mom found out when i stopped eating fast food in fear of getting fp*.i did what sage suggested and sent my mom the intro info to this site to her because it sounded exactly like me and i wanted her to understand...or as much as she could.


she knows but of course doesnt truely understand.nobody in my family really does but thats ok.ill never stop walking around with my bag glove lol.

[rymc730]

yeah, i've never had to tell my parents either. it's always something i've struggled with

[tanechka1984]

They've always known it from my behaviour

[x hannah x]

I usually talk to my parents about important stuff when we're eating together, since its the only time we ever sit down in the same room. Or when we're in the car. Maybe you could ask one of them for a lift somewhere and talk about it then?

You could show them this website, if they have trouble understanding, or I think there is a page about it on wikipedia. Thats how I told one of my friend's about it, we'd been talking about her fear of heights and I sent an email saying "This is my fear" with the link to the emetophobia page on wiki.

When I told my parents I was only 6 and trying to explain why I was so scared of going to school, I couldn't articulate it properly, so I just said "I'm scared of sick" and I think they told me I was being silly. I didn't bring up the topic again for quite a few years.

[emeraldrose]

I haven't really told my parents. I think if I had told them when I was younger, they definitely would not have understood - particularly my mom. I'm not sure what keeps me from telling them now.
My sister is also an emet, but she and I don't really talk that much. She suffers from depression as well and likes to keep her life private from everyone. She feels like it's her business.
Maybe I'll get the courage to tell my mom and dad. I'll be 30 next month, think it's time? Haha!
My husband knows and is supportive, which I find incredibly awesome. He can talk me down and get me back to a relaxed state.

[swtcatastrphe]

I was attending therapy at my university's health center. It is free, but the services showed up on my account and my mom asked about it. I figured I may as well just tell her. It went well, and she had sort of assumed something was up anyways (from some of my odd eating habits and obsessive cleanliness). Not sure if she told my dad or not. Anyway, we don't really talk about it much.

[icicledreamz]

I never really nesesarily told my dad about it
He just caught a glimse of crazy emet me last time i had the sv* and was screaming for him in the bathroom and freaking out. So know he knows alll about it.

[feathermask]

My mother knew I was terrified around anything involving v* and that I had panic attacks when I was a kid, and she was very ashamed of me because of it. She herself has a fear of v*ing, but the fear never seems to have taken over her life the way it has mine. I think she believed that I could just "get over it".
I haven't said antything to her about the emetophobia. I hahven't told her I still have this phobia or that it has a clinical name, because she dosen't have respect for anyone who claims a "label" of a mental disorder or who seeks psych help. She probably assumes I've grown out of it.

My husband dosen't know about my emet at all, and I just don't have the guts to tell him right now. He has his own issues. He has a form of autism and so he's not the most emotionally supportive guy around. He's very logical, and would probably try and talk me out of being afraid by using perfectly good rational arguments, but wouldn't understand that with this phobia logic dosen't really apply.

[teh folder]

My parents have always been super supportive to me. I don’t remember telling them, they have known since I can remember. They may have just got the hint whenever I ran out of the house crying / screaming if someone v****ed - and constantly asking them if I had the sv. I remember in kindergarten a friend v****ed and I hid under the table that night saying I didn’t want to eat. I was afraid of getting it. They just comforted me.