I definitely experience food allergy anxiety and do what I can to avoid it, often keeping me at home or in safe places. It can become quite limiting, particularly in social situations involving food. I see anxiety in some children with allergies but not all. It seems to depend on their threshold levels and their parents' attitudes towards the allergy. Sadly, the parents who en
After a recent anaphylactic reaction (Epi, ambulance, hospital, biphasic), I suffered from short-term PTSD. Thankfully, my GP is highly aware of food allergies and anxiety, and was quick to recognise the anxiety disorder. According to her, a level of post-trauma stress is considered normal for severe reactions, and they won't do much for it unless severe symptoms last more than a month or there is threat to life (i.e. suicidal thoughts), much like any other anxiety disorder. Can they understand food allergy anxiety - yes and no. They can understand the mechanics of anxiety but not necessarily the nuances of food being everywhere.
Are we being irrational? That one is really difficult to answer. I see both ends of the spectrum regularly. I can be highly anxious in certain situations because I have very low thresholds and anaphylaxic reactions to traces of traces. Is that rational, probably. But, the parent who had a blood panel done on her kid, with no reaction history, and believes them to be severely allergic to items on that test and demanding the classroom to be free of 26 different allergens and traces and the whole nine yards seems irrational to me. Does the irrational behaviour of people with allergies, or intolerances for that matter, stem from misinformation, lack of current allergy education, or is it their will to remain ignorant or demand accommodations that aren't necessary? Do we sometimes demand extra (sometimes unreasonable) precautions because we don't entirely trust the people we're asking them from? This is a VERY complex topic.
Have I been treated in a caring and respectful way? By most people, yes. Have people taunted me, not believed me, and waved nuts in front of my face or tried to slip nuts into my food, yes, but those people are in the minority and I try to avoid spending time with them.
Edited: abbreviated details to keep on topic.