Case Study: Robert's School Phobia (Oltmanns et al)

Robert was an underweight eight year-old who had always been reluctant to go to school. Every school night he ate very little, yet still vomited. He twitched and became even more anxious as the evening went on. When he couldn't get to sleep he would cry, and his mother would come and sit with him and tell him comforting stories.

In the morning, Robert got up early and paced up and down, or sat in a corner - occasionally rushing to the toilet to be sick. When it was time to go to school he had to be pushed out of the house, though often his tears and complaints of feeling unwell led his mother to give in and let him stay home. It didn't matter greatly as the boy was unlikely to learn much in school in the state he was in.

If he did go to school, there was some solace in the fact that his mother would visit the school at playtime and bring milk and cookies. She came because that was part of the 'deal' about going…