Symptoms | Causes | Diagnostic Criteria | Treatments

The essential feature of separation anxiety disorder is excessive fear concerning separation from home or from the separation of an attachment figure. The anxiety one can expect with this condition will exceed that which is expected given the person’s developmental level.

When a child with separation anxiety disorder is separated from major attachment figures, they may exhibit social withdrawal, apathy, sadness, or difficulty concentrating on work or play. Depending on their age, individuals may have fears of animals, monsters, the dark, muggers, burglars, kidnappers, car accidents, plan travel, and other situations that are perceived as presenting danger to the family or themselves.

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Some individuals with separation anxiety disorder ultimately become homesick and uncomfortable to the point of misery when they are away from home. Separation anxiety disorder in children may lead to school refusal, which in turn may lead to academic difficulties and social isolation.

Children with separation anxiety disorder may be described as demanding, intrusive, and in need of constant attention, and, as adults, may appear dependent and overprotective. The individual’s excessive demands often become a source of frustration for family members, leading to resentment and conflict in the family.

Symptoms of Separation Anxiety Disorder

• Repeated nightmares about separation
• Refusing to sleep away from home without a parent or other loved one nearby
• Lots of worry when away from home or family
• Overly worried about getting lost from family
• Refusing to go to school
• Not wanting to be home alone and without a parent or other loved one in the house
• Fearful and reluctant to be alone
• Frequent stomachaches, headaches, or other physical complaints
• Overly concerned about safety of self
• Being very clingy, even when at home
• Panic or temper tantrums at times of separation from parents or caregivers
• Overly worried about the safety of a family member
• Constant, excessive worry about losing a parent or other loved one to an illness or a disaster
• Refusing to be away from home

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Causes of Separation Anxiety Disorder

Temperamental, environmental, genetic & physiological factors are all likely to play key roles in the development of separation anxiety disorder. Individuals with a family history of this condition may be at risk for developing it themselves. In fact, researchers have found that several parts of the brain, as well as biological processes, play a key role in fear and anxiety.

According to the DSM-5, separation anxiety disorder often develops after life stress, especially a loss (e.g., the death of a relative or pet; an illness of the individual or a relative; a change of schools; parental divorce; a move to a new neighborhood; immigration; a disaster that involved periods of separation from attachment figures).

In young adults, other examples of life stress include leaving the parental home, entering into a romantic relationship, and becoming a parent. Parental overprotection and intrusiveness may be associated with this mental illness.

As children age, worries emerge; these are often worries about specific dangers (e.g., accidents, kidnapping, mugging, death) or vague concerns about not being reunited with attachment figures. In adults, this disorder may limit their ability to cope with changes in circumstances (e.g., moving, getting married, etc.)

Adults suffering from this condition are typically overconcerned about their offspring and spouses and experience marked discomfort when separated from them. If this wasn’t distressing enough, they may also experience significant disruption in work or social experiences because of needing to continuously check on the whereabouts of a significant other, according to the DSM-5.

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Diagnostic Criteria

To get properly diagnosed with separation anxiety disorder, you will need to go through a psychiatric evaluation with your psychiatrist, psychologist, or other accredited mental health professional who can legally diagnose mental disorders. Psychiatric evaluations typically entail getting asked questions about your symptoms, such as how intense and frequent you experience them.

Some of the specific diagnostic criteria, according to the DSM-5, are recurrent excessive distress when anticipating or experiencing separation from home or from major attachment figures, and persistent reluctance or refusal to go out, away from home, to school, to work, or elsewhere because of fear of separation, among other criteria.

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Treatments for Separation Anxiety Disorder

For someone suffering with this condition, there are several different types of treatments available for them. For instance, individual psychotherapy (talk therapy), family therapy, as well as some medications may be able to help reduce the intensity of the symptoms associated with this disorder.

Talk therapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) may be very effective at helping a child with their condition to better understand the causes of their anxiety, as well as learning much more effective ways to cope with their fears, among other things. CBT is a very common form of therapy for people suffering from anxiety disorders and is often used to treat generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), among other conditions.

Depending on the age of the individual, as well as the severity of their symptoms, they may be able to greatly benefit from taking an anti-anxiety medication or an antidepressant. These medications are commonly prescribed for individuals suffering from anxiety disorders and mood disorders, and they may also be able to help relieve some of the symptoms associated with separation anxiety as well. Although, this is something you should first discuss with your doctor.

If you think you may be suffering from some of the symptoms of this condition, then you may benefit from therapy. Feel free to reach out to your doctor or local mental health clinic to see what your available options are and to see if there is any sort of discount or promo code available to help you with the costs of treatment, as well as if your health insurance will cover treatment costs.

References:

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2788956/

• https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/separation-anxiety-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20377455

• https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=separation-anxiety-disorder-90-P02582

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560793/

• https://childmind.org/guide/separation-anxiety-disorder/

• https://www.helpguide.org/articles/anxiety/separation-anxiety-and-separation-anxiety-disorder.htm

• https://www.childrenshospital.org/conditions-and-treatments/conditions/s/separation-anxiety-disorder/symptoms-and-causes

• Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm

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