Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Anxiety support group
Eva reaches out to parents whose children are affected
A MUM whose daughter s u f fe r s from severe an xiety has launched a support group for parents.
Eva Aitchison, 12, has suffered from symptoms of the condition, such as feeling sick and isolated, since she was four.
However, the disorder has got progressively worse in recent years and 12 months ago she was given a formal diagnosis.
Mum Joy Wilkie, from Broughty Ferry, found there was little support for parents and launched an appeal to find others in the same situation.
She said: “Eva has got generalised anxiety disorder. She was diagnosed about a year ago and doesn’t attend school at the moment.
“She has suffered with anxiety since she was really young, probably since she was four.”
Joy added: “With generalised anxiety disorder it’s nothing specific. Sometimes Eva can’t even tell what is making her feel anxious.
“It manifests itself in her feeling a bit sick, wanting to be on her own and feeling that she doesn’t fit in.”
Joy said Eva’s condition has worsened over the last year which sparked the idea of setting up the support group.
“I got a fantastic response – a lot of people messaged me privately,” she said.
“I’ve felt quite isolated – there isn’t really much out there supportwise for parents.”
Joy said the whole family is impacted by Eva’s condition and she is currently off work herself.
She said: “I think it would be good to speak to other people who understand how difficult it is.
“If I can help other people then it would be great, as well as having support for myself.”
The first meeting of the group will take place at Barnhill Primary School on Wednesday February 12 at 6.30pm.
Guest speaker will be therapist and author Dawn Wilson.
Anyone wanting more information can contact the group’s Facebook page – Support group for parents/carers of children with anxiety.