Separation anxiety disorder
Encyclopedia
Separation anxiety disorder is a psychological
condition in which an individual experiences excessive anxiety
regarding separation from home or from people to whom the individual has a strong emotional attachment (like a father, mother, grandparents, and brothers or sisters). Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD), is characterized by significant and recurrent amounts of worry upon (or anticipation of) separation from a child or adolescent's home or from those to whom the child or adolescent is attached.
Those suffering from SAD may worry about losing their parents and/or getting lost or kidnapped. They often refuse to go to certain places (e.g., school) because of fears of separation, or become extremely fearful when they are left alone without their parents. These children and adolescents may also refuse to sleep alone, experience nightmares about separation, or experience various physical complaints (e.g., body-aches, nausea) when separated from their parents. Separation anxiety may cause significant impairment in important areas of functioning, (e.g., academic and social). The duration of this problem must last for at least four weeks and must present itself before the child is 18 years of age.
Often, separation anxiety disorder is a symptom
of a co-morbid condition. Studies show that child
ren suffering from separation anxiety disorder are much more likely to have ADHD, bipolar disorder
, panic disorder
, and other disorders later in life.
emerges—which is when children learn that something still exists when it is not seen or heard. As babies begin to understand that they can be separated from their primary caregiver
, they do not understand that their caregiver will return, nor do they have a concept of time
. This, in turn, causes a normal and healthy anxious reaction.
Some sources state that separation anxiety typically onsets around 8 months of age and increases until 13–15 months, when it begins to decline. Other sources report a peak from 18–36 months.
Compared to separation anxiety, separation anxiety disorder is when the symptoms of separation anxiety becomes problematic for day-to-day living.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) (1980) states that the following criteria must be fulfilled for a patient to be diagnosed with separation anxiety disorder:
Separation anxiety disorder is a psychological
condition in which an individual experiences excessive anxiety
regarding separation from home or from people to whom the individual has a strong emotional attachment (like a father, mother, grandparents, and brothers or sisters). Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD), is characterized by significant and recurrent amounts of worry upon (or anticipation of) separation from a child or adolescent's home or from those to whom the child or adolescent is attached.
Those suffering from SAD may worry about losing their parents and/or getting lost or kidnapped. They often refuse to go to certain places (e.g., school) because of fears of separation, or become extremely fearful when they are left alone without their parents. These children and adolescents may also refuse to sleep alone, experience nightmares about separation, or experience various physical complaints (e.g., body-aches, nausea) when separated from their parents. Separation anxiety may cause significant impairment in important areas of functioning, (e.g., academic and social). The duration of this problem must last for at least four weeks and must present itself before the child is 18 years of age.
Often, separation anxiety disorder is a symptom
of a co-morbid condition. Studies show that child
ren suffering from separation anxiety disorder are much more likely to have ADHD, bipolar disorder
, panic disorder
, and other disorders later in life.
emerges—which is when children learn that something still exists when it is not seen or heard. As babies begin to understand that they can be separated from their primary caregiver
, they do not understand that their caregiver will return, nor do they have a concept of time
. This, in turn, causes a normal and healthy anxious reaction.
Some sources state that separation anxiety typically onsets around 8 months of age and increases until 13–15 months, when it begins to decline. Other sources report a peak from 18–36 months.
Compared to separation anxiety, separation anxiety disorder is when the symptoms of separation anxiety becomes problematic for day-to-day living.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) (1980) states that the following criteria must be fulfilled for a patient to be diagnosed with separation anxiety disorder:
Separation anxiety disorder is a psychological
condition in which an individual experiences excessive anxiety
regarding separation from home or from people to whom the individual has a strong emotional attachment (like a father, mother, grandparents, and brothers or sisters). Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD), is characterized by significant and recurrent amounts of worry upon (or anticipation of) separation from a child or adolescent's home or from those to whom the child or adolescent is attached.
Those suffering from SAD may worry about losing their parents and/or getting lost or kidnapped. They often refuse to go to certain places (e.g., school) because of fears of separation, or become extremely fearful when they are left alone without their parents. These children and adolescents may also refuse to sleep alone, experience nightmares about separation, or experience various physical complaints (e.g., body-aches, nausea) when separated from their parents. Separation anxiety may cause significant impairment in important areas of functioning, (e.g., academic and social). The duration of this problem must last for at least four weeks and must present itself before the child is 18 years of age.
Often, separation anxiety disorder is a symptom
of a co-morbid condition. Studies show that child
ren suffering from separation anxiety disorder are much more likely to have ADHD, bipolar disorder
, panic disorder
, and other disorders later in life.
emerges—which is when children learn that something still exists when it is not seen or heard. As babies begin to understand that they can be separated from their primary caregiver
, they do not understand that their caregiver will return, nor do they have a concept of time
. This, in turn, causes a normal and healthy anxious reaction.
Some sources state that separation anxiety typically onsets around 8 months of age and increases until 13–15 months, when it begins to decline. Other sources report a peak from 18–36 months.
Compared to separation anxiety, separation anxiety disorder is when the symptoms of separation anxiety becomes problematic for day-to-day living.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) (1980) states that the following criteria must be fulfilled for a patient to be diagnosed with separation anxiety disorder:
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
condition in which an individual experiences excessive anxiety
Anxiety
Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by somatic, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components. The root meaning of the word anxiety is 'to vex or trouble'; in either presence or absence of psychological stress, anxiety can create feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness,...
regarding separation from home or from people to whom the individual has a strong emotional attachment (like a father, mother, grandparents, and brothers or sisters). Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD), is characterized by significant and recurrent amounts of worry upon (or anticipation of) separation from a child or adolescent's home or from those to whom the child or adolescent is attached.
Those suffering from SAD may worry about losing their parents and/or getting lost or kidnapped. They often refuse to go to certain places (e.g., school) because of fears of separation, or become extremely fearful when they are left alone without their parents. These children and adolescents may also refuse to sleep alone, experience nightmares about separation, or experience various physical complaints (e.g., body-aches, nausea) when separated from their parents. Separation anxiety may cause significant impairment in important areas of functioning, (e.g., academic and social). The duration of this problem must last for at least four weeks and must present itself before the child is 18 years of age.
Background
Present in all age groups, adult separation anxiety disorder (affecting roughly 7% of adults) is more common than childhood separation anxiety disorder (affecting approximately 4% of children). Separation Anxiety can also occur in dogs, which can lead to chewing for relieving stress. Separation anxiety disorder is often characterized by some of the following symptoms:- Recurring distress when separated from the subject of attachment (such as significant otherSignificant otherSignificant other is colloquially used as a gender-blind term for a person's partner in an intimate relationship without disclosing or presuming anything about marital status, relationship status, or sexual orientation, as it is vague enough to avoid offense by using a term that an individual...
, the father or the mother, or home) - Persistent, excessive worrying about losing the subject of attachment, and/or that some event will lead to separation from a major attachment
- Excessive fearFearFear is a distressing negative sensation induced by a perceived threat. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of danger...
about being alone without subject of attachment - Persistent reluctance or refusal to go to sleep without being near a major attachment figure, like a significant other or mother
- Recurrent nightmareNightmareA nightmare is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong negative emotional response from the mind, typically fear or horror, but also despair, anxiety and great sadness. The dream may contain situations of danger, discomfort, psychological or physical terror...
s about separation - CryingCryingCrying is shedding tears as a response to an emotional state in humans. The act of crying has been defined as "a complex secretomotor phenomenon characterized by the shedding of tears from the lacrimal apparatus, without any irritation of the ocular structures"...
Often, separation anxiety disorder is a symptom
Symptom
A symptom is a departure from normal function or feeling which is noticed by a patient, indicating the presence of disease or abnormality...
of a co-morbid condition. Studies show that child
Child
Biologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...
ren suffering from separation anxiety disorder are much more likely to have ADHD, bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
, panic disorder
Panic disorder
Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by recurring severe panic attacks. It may also include significant behavioral change lasting at least a month and of ongoing worry about the implications or concern about having other attacks. The latter are called anticipatory attacks...
, and other disorders later in life.
Separation anxiety disorder versus separation anxiety
Separation anxiety disorder should not be confused with separation anxiety, which occurs as "a normal stage of development for healthy, secure babies." Separation anxiety occurs as babies begin to understand their own selfhood—or understand that they are a separate person from their primary caregiver. At the same time, the concept of object permanenceObject permanence
Object permanence is the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, heard, or touched. It is acquired by human infants between 8 and 12 months of age via the process of logical induction to help them develop secondary schemes in their sensori-motor coordination...
emerges—which is when children learn that something still exists when it is not seen or heard. As babies begin to understand that they can be separated from their primary caregiver
Caregiver
Caregiver may refer to:* Caregiver or carer - an unpaid person who cares for someone requiring support due to a disability, frailty, mental health problem, learning disability or old age...
, they do not understand that their caregiver will return, nor do they have a concept of time
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
. This, in turn, causes a normal and healthy anxious reaction.
Some sources state that separation anxiety typically onsets around 8 months of age and increases until 13–15 months, when it begins to decline. Other sources report a peak from 18–36 months.
Compared to separation anxiety, separation anxiety disorder is when the symptoms of separation anxiety becomes problematic for day-to-day living.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) (1980) states that the following criteria must be fulfilled for a patient to be diagnosed with separation anxiety disorder:
- A. Excessive anxiety concerning separation from those to whom the child is attached, as manifested by at least three of the following:
- 1) Unrealistic worry about possible harm befalling major attachment figures or fear that they will leave and not return
- 2) Unrealistic worry that an untoward calamitous event will separate the child from a major attachment figure, e.g. the child will be lost, kidnapped, killed, or be the victim of an accident
- 3) Persistent reluctance or refusal to go to school in order to stay with major attachment figures or at home
- 4) Persistent reluctance or refusal to go to sleep without being next to a major attachment figure or to go to sleep away from home
- 5) Persistent avoidance of being alone in the home and emotional upset if unable to follow the major attachment figure around the home
- 6) Repeated nightmares involving theme of separation
- 7) Complaints of physical symptoms on school days, e.g. stomach-aches, headaches, nausea, vomiting
- 8) Signs of excessive distress upon separation, or when anticipating separation, from major attachment figures, e.g., temper tantrums or crying, pleading with parents not to leave (for children below the age of six, the distress must be of panic proportions)
- 9) Social withdrawal, apathy, sadness, or difficulty concentrating on work or play when not with a major attachment figure
- B. Duration of disturbance of at least two weeks
- C. Not due to a Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Schizophrenia, or any other psychotic disorder
- D. If 18 or older, does not meet the criteria for Agoraphobia
Psychosocial Treatment
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is scientifically proven to help treat separation anxiety disorder. Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies for children and adolescents usually are short-term treatments (i.e., often between 6-20 sessions) that focus on teaching young people and their parents specific skills. CBT is different from many other therapy approaches by focusing on the ways that a person's cognitions (i.e., thoughts), emotions, and behaviors are connected and how they affect one another. Because emotions, thoughts, and behaviors are all linked, CBT approaches allow for therapists to intervene at different points in the cycle.Links
Separation anxiety disorder is a psychological
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
condition in which an individual experiences excessive anxiety
Anxiety
Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by somatic, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components. The root meaning of the word anxiety is 'to vex or trouble'; in either presence or absence of psychological stress, anxiety can create feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness,...
regarding separation from home or from people to whom the individual has a strong emotional attachment (like a father, mother, grandparents, and brothers or sisters). Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD), is characterized by significant and recurrent amounts of worry upon (or anticipation of) separation from a child or adolescent's home or from those to whom the child or adolescent is attached.
Those suffering from SAD may worry about losing their parents and/or getting lost or kidnapped. They often refuse to go to certain places (e.g., school) because of fears of separation, or become extremely fearful when they are left alone without their parents. These children and adolescents may also refuse to sleep alone, experience nightmares about separation, or experience various physical complaints (e.g., body-aches, nausea) when separated from their parents. Separation anxiety may cause significant impairment in important areas of functioning, (e.g., academic and social). The duration of this problem must last for at least four weeks and must present itself before the child is 18 years of age.
Background
Present in all age groups, adult separation anxiety disorder (affecting roughly 7% of adults) is more common than childhood separation anxiety disorder (affecting approximately 4% of children). Separation Anxiety can also occur in dogs, which can lead to chewing for relieving stress. Separation anxiety disorder is often characterized by some of the following symptoms:- Recurring distress when separated from the subject of attachment (such as significant otherSignificant otherSignificant other is colloquially used as a gender-blind term for a person's partner in an intimate relationship without disclosing or presuming anything about marital status, relationship status, or sexual orientation, as it is vague enough to avoid offense by using a term that an individual...
, the father or the mother, or home) - Persistent, excessive worrying about losing the subject of attachment, and/or that some event will lead to separation from a major attachment
- Excessive fearFearFear is a distressing negative sensation induced by a perceived threat. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of danger...
about being alone without subject of attachment - Persistent reluctance or refusal to go to sleep without being near a major attachment figure, like a significant other or mother
- Recurrent nightmareNightmareA nightmare is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong negative emotional response from the mind, typically fear or horror, but also despair, anxiety and great sadness. The dream may contain situations of danger, discomfort, psychological or physical terror...
s about separation - CryingCryingCrying is shedding tears as a response to an emotional state in humans. The act of crying has been defined as "a complex secretomotor phenomenon characterized by the shedding of tears from the lacrimal apparatus, without any irritation of the ocular structures"...
Often, separation anxiety disorder is a symptom
Symptom
A symptom is a departure from normal function or feeling which is noticed by a patient, indicating the presence of disease or abnormality...
of a co-morbid condition. Studies show that child
Child
Biologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...
ren suffering from separation anxiety disorder are much more likely to have ADHD, bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
, panic disorder
Panic disorder
Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by recurring severe panic attacks. It may also include significant behavioral change lasting at least a month and of ongoing worry about the implications or concern about having other attacks. The latter are called anticipatory attacks...
, and other disorders later in life.
Separation anxiety disorder versus separation anxiety
Separation anxiety disorder should not be confused with separation anxiety, which occurs as "a normal stage of development for healthy, secure babies." Separation anxiety occurs as babies begin to understand their own selfhood—or understand that they are a separate person from their primary caregiver. At the same time, the concept of object permanenceObject permanence
Object permanence is the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, heard, or touched. It is acquired by human infants between 8 and 12 months of age via the process of logical induction to help them develop secondary schemes in their sensori-motor coordination...
emerges—which is when children learn that something still exists when it is not seen or heard. As babies begin to understand that they can be separated from their primary caregiver
Caregiver
Caregiver may refer to:* Caregiver or carer - an unpaid person who cares for someone requiring support due to a disability, frailty, mental health problem, learning disability or old age...
, they do not understand that their caregiver will return, nor do they have a concept of time
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
. This, in turn, causes a normal and healthy anxious reaction.
Some sources state that separation anxiety typically onsets around 8 months of age and increases until 13–15 months, when it begins to decline. Other sources report a peak from 18–36 months.
Compared to separation anxiety, separation anxiety disorder is when the symptoms of separation anxiety becomes problematic for day-to-day living.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) (1980) states that the following criteria must be fulfilled for a patient to be diagnosed with separation anxiety disorder:
- A. Excessive anxiety concerning separation from those to whom the child is attached, as manifested by at least three of the following:
- 1) Unrealistic worry about possible harm befalling major attachment figures or fear that they will leave and not return
- 2) Unrealistic worry that an untoward calamitous event will separate the child from a major attachment figure, e.g. the child will be lost, kidnapped, killed, or be the victim of an accident
- 3) Persistent reluctance or refusal to go to school in order to stay with major attachment figures or at home
- 4) Persistent reluctance or refusal to go to sleep without being next to a major attachment figure or to go to sleep away from home
- 5) Persistent avoidance of being alone in the home and emotional upset if unable to follow the major attachment figure around the home
- 6) Repeated nightmares involving theme of separation
- 7) Complaints of physical symptoms on school days, e.g. stomach-aches, headaches, nausea, vomiting
- 8) Signs of excessive distress upon separation, or when anticipating separation, from major attachment figures, e.g., temper tantrums or crying, pleading with parents not to leave (for children below the age of six, the distress must be of panic proportions)
- 9) Social withdrawal, apathy, sadness, or difficulty concentrating on work or play when not with a major attachment figure
- B. Duration of disturbance of at least two weeks
- C. Not due to a Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Schizophrenia, or any other psychotic disorder
- D. If 18 or older, does not meet the criteria for Agoraphobia
Psychosocial Treatment
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is scientifically proven to help treat separation anxiety disorder. Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies for children and adolescents usually are short-term treatments (i.e., often between 6-20 sessions) that focus on teaching young people and their parents specific skills. CBT is different from many other therapy approaches by focusing on the ways that a person's cognitions (i.e., thoughts), emotions, and behaviors are connected and how they affect one another. Because emotions, thoughts, and behaviors are all linked, CBT approaches allow for therapists to intervene at different points in the cycle.Links
Separation anxiety disorder is a psychological
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
condition in which an individual experiences excessive anxiety
Anxiety
Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by somatic, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components. The root meaning of the word anxiety is 'to vex or trouble'; in either presence or absence of psychological stress, anxiety can create feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness,...
regarding separation from home or from people to whom the individual has a strong emotional attachment (like a father, mother, grandparents, and brothers or sisters). Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD), is characterized by significant and recurrent amounts of worry upon (or anticipation of) separation from a child or adolescent's home or from those to whom the child or adolescent is attached.
Those suffering from SAD may worry about losing their parents and/or getting lost or kidnapped. They often refuse to go to certain places (e.g., school) because of fears of separation, or become extremely fearful when they are left alone without their parents. These children and adolescents may also refuse to sleep alone, experience nightmares about separation, or experience various physical complaints (e.g., body-aches, nausea) when separated from their parents. Separation anxiety may cause significant impairment in important areas of functioning, (e.g., academic and social). The duration of this problem must last for at least four weeks and must present itself before the child is 18 years of age.
Background
Present in all age groups, adult separation anxiety disorder (affecting roughly 7% of adults) is more common than childhood separation anxiety disorder (affecting approximately 4% of children). Separation Anxiety can also occur in dogs, which can lead to chewing for relieving stress. Separation anxiety disorder is often characterized by some of the following symptoms:- Recurring distress when separated from the subject of attachment (such as significant otherSignificant otherSignificant other is colloquially used as a gender-blind term for a person's partner in an intimate relationship without disclosing or presuming anything about marital status, relationship status, or sexual orientation, as it is vague enough to avoid offense by using a term that an individual...
, the father or the mother, or home) - Persistent, excessive worrying about losing the subject of attachment, and/or that some event will lead to separation from a major attachment
- Excessive fearFearFear is a distressing negative sensation induced by a perceived threat. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of danger...
about being alone without subject of attachment - Persistent reluctance or refusal to go to sleep without being near a major attachment figure, like a significant other or mother
- Recurrent nightmareNightmareA nightmare is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong negative emotional response from the mind, typically fear or horror, but also despair, anxiety and great sadness. The dream may contain situations of danger, discomfort, psychological or physical terror...
s about separation - CryingCryingCrying is shedding tears as a response to an emotional state in humans. The act of crying has been defined as "a complex secretomotor phenomenon characterized by the shedding of tears from the lacrimal apparatus, without any irritation of the ocular structures"...
Often, separation anxiety disorder is a symptom
Symptom
A symptom is a departure from normal function or feeling which is noticed by a patient, indicating the presence of disease or abnormality...
of a co-morbid condition. Studies show that child
Child
Biologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...
ren suffering from separation anxiety disorder are much more likely to have ADHD, bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
, panic disorder
Panic disorder
Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by recurring severe panic attacks. It may also include significant behavioral change lasting at least a month and of ongoing worry about the implications or concern about having other attacks. The latter are called anticipatory attacks...
, and other disorders later in life.
Separation anxiety disorder versus separation anxiety
Separation anxiety disorder should not be confused with separation anxiety, which occurs as "a normal stage of development for healthy, secure babies." Separation anxiety occurs as babies begin to understand their own selfhood—or understand that they are a separate person from their primary caregiver. At the same time, the concept of object permanenceObject permanence
Object permanence is the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, heard, or touched. It is acquired by human infants between 8 and 12 months of age via the process of logical induction to help them develop secondary schemes in their sensori-motor coordination...
emerges—which is when children learn that something still exists when it is not seen or heard. As babies begin to understand that they can be separated from their primary caregiver
Caregiver
Caregiver may refer to:* Caregiver or carer - an unpaid person who cares for someone requiring support due to a disability, frailty, mental health problem, learning disability or old age...
, they do not understand that their caregiver will return, nor do they have a concept of time
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
. This, in turn, causes a normal and healthy anxious reaction.
Some sources state that separation anxiety typically onsets around 8 months of age and increases until 13–15 months, when it begins to decline. Other sources report a peak from 18–36 months.
Compared to separation anxiety, separation anxiety disorder is when the symptoms of separation anxiety becomes problematic for day-to-day living.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) (1980) states that the following criteria must be fulfilled for a patient to be diagnosed with separation anxiety disorder:
- A. Excessive anxiety concerning separation from those to whom the child is attached, as manifested by at least three of the following:
- 1) Unrealistic worry about possible harm befalling major attachment figures or fear that they will leave and not return
- 2) Unrealistic worry that an untoward calamitous event will separate the child from a major attachment figure, e.g. the child will be lost, kidnapped, killed, or be the victim of an accident
- 3) Persistent reluctance or refusal to go to school in order to stay with major attachment figures or at home
- 4) Persistent reluctance or refusal to go to sleep without being next to a major attachment figure or to go to sleep away from home
- 5) Persistent avoidance of being alone in the home and emotional upset if unable to follow the major attachment figure around the home
- 6) Repeated nightmares involving theme of separation
- 7) Complaints of physical symptoms on school days, e.g. stomach-aches, headaches, nausea, vomiting
- 8) Signs of excessive distress upon separation, or when anticipating separation, from major attachment figures, e.g., temper tantrums or crying, pleading with parents not to leave (for children below the age of six, the distress must be of panic proportions)
- 9) Social withdrawal, apathy, sadness, or difficulty concentrating on work or play when not with a major attachment figure
- B. Duration of disturbance of at least two weeks
- C. Not due to a Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Schizophrenia, or any other psychotic disorder
- D. If 18 or older, does not meet the criteria for Agoraphobia
Psychosocial Treatment
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is scientifically proven to help treat separation anxiety disorder. Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies for children and adolescents usually are short-term treatments (i.e., often between 6-20 sessions) that focus on teaching young people and their parents specific skills. CBT is different from many other therapy approaches by focusing on the ways that a person's cognitions (i.e., thoughts), emotions, and behaviors are connected and how they affect one another. Because emotions, thoughts, and behaviors are all linked, CBT approaches allow for therapists to intervene at different points in the cycle.Links