Children and Teens With Separation Anxiety Disorder

Children and adolescents with separation anxiety disorder worry excessively about being apart from their caregivers, parents or other significant people in their lives. They might also be worried about a possible negative outcome of separation, such as getting lost or being injured.

Children with separation anxiety disorder can be treated with psychotherapy and medications. The child is taught to approach feared situations slowly, with assurance.


Signs and symptoms

Separation anxiety disorder is more severe than normal anxiety when it comes to being separated from family members and primary caregivers. People suffering from this disorder are worried that their loved ones will suffer a tragic event when they are separated. This could mean getting lost or falling ill. They might also be worried about other situations that can separate them from their loved ones such as being abducted or being involved in an accident.

This anxiety disorder can affect people at any age. It isn't known what causes separation anxiety in adults however, it could be caused by major life changes or prior mental health issues such as depression or PTSD. People with this condition may be overly dependent on their children or romantic partners and have trouble establishing boundaries. Others may perceive them as being overly demanding or clingy.

generalized anxiety disorder is characterized by excessive distress when someone is separated from their family, significant stress while away from home or at work, and recurrent dreams involving separation. These symptoms can cause people to avoid traveling or other activities that require physical separation from family members, like going back to school. Children with this condition may have difficulty sleeping or experience a variety of physical problems including headaches or stomach pains when they are worried about being on their own.

To diagnose this disorder, the healthcare professional will inquire about your your child's past and present symptoms. They will also ask you about your family and other relationships to see how you have dealt with separation anxiety in the past.

Treatment for this disorder can include therapy for talk and, in certain cases medications. Your therapist will show you and your children how to deal with the fears. They can help you and your child learn how to deal with separations through a step by steps. The use of medication can help calm the brain and relax the body, which can help ease your child's anxiety.

Diagnosis

Separation anxiety disorder can cause a person to feel extreme distress if they are away from their home or other close family members. In contrast to the normal anxiety and fear that most people experience, the symptoms of this disorder are persistent, often lasting for more than four weeks for children and more than six months in adults, and they create major disruptions to the daily routine and functioning at work and school. The condition can also interfere with a person's ability form romantic relationships and socialize.

A mental health professional will interview and observe the patient's behavior in order to diagnose this disorder. The provider will want to determine when the symptoms began and what makes them worse or better. Depending on the individual's age, a mental health professional may also ask about recent events that may have caused stress, as well as any previous trauma history.

The provider will also determine if there is another medical condition that may cause similar symptoms. It could be a condition such as cancer, or a neurological disorder like cerebral palsy or multiple sclerosis. Other possible causes include family-related adversities that affect children such as mental illness, substance misuse or child abuse, domestic violence and neglect, as well as exposure to traumatizing events like natural disasters and sexual assault, war or the death of a loved one.

It can be difficult to diagnose separation anxiety disorder among adults, since there are no lab tests and the symptoms may be similar to those of other fears. A person who develops a separation anxiety disorder in their adulthood typically does so after experiencing a traumatic event or significant loss. Some studies suggest that people who were diagnosed with separation anxiety disorder in their childhood are more likely to be suffering from anxiety and depression later in life.

Separation anxiety disorder can be treated in many ways. People suffering from separation anxiety disorder can overcome their fear through therapy, such a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or medication like selective serotonin antagonists and antidepressants. People suffering from this disorder typically benefit from education for parents and methods to improve their relationship with their children.

Treatment

Separation anxiety disorder can be diagnosed when children's fear of strangers and clinginess continues throughout elementary school, and is accompanied with physical symptoms, and affects everyday functioning. In fact, according to the BetterHelp online therapy service that separation anxiety disorder is the most common anxiety disorder that is diagnosed in children, affecting up to 4 percent of them, with an age at onset of around 7 years.

Your child's doctor will perform a thorough examination to rule out physical ailments that could be causing anxiety. If no physical problems are discovered the doctor who treats your child will refer them to a mental health professional who has experience in anxiety disorders. This will likely be a child psychiatrist or psychologist.

Psychotherapy (also called talk therapy) is typically the first option for treating separation anxiety disorder. The therapist will assist your child to help them learn healthy ways of managing their emotions, building self-confidence and independence, and building resilience. The therapist will also educate parents on how they can help their child and aid them with their anxiety. Separation anxiety disorder is often treated by medication, for example antidepressants like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

Depending on your child's specific requirements, their therapist will determine which treatment options are appropriate for them. For example, children with severe anxiety might benefit from a combination of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and exposure therapy. This means gradually exposing your child to the situations that cause anxiety in small steps until they become comfortable.

Typically, children suffering from separation anxiety disorder will improve as they get older, and their symptoms will decrease. There are some adults who experience symptoms of separation disorder in their adult life. It can be challenging for them keep relationships going or to achieve certain career goals, such as returning to college or moving to work. Adults with separation disorder are more likely to suffer from co-occurring disorders such as depression, phobias and post-traumatic disorder.

The following is a list of preventions.

Separation anxiety is common in many children. But for others, it can become a serious problem that interferes with their lives and blocks them from participating in activities they enjoy. If your child's fears are disrupting their routine consult an expert in mental health.

Children with separation anxiety disorder suffer extreme stress when they are separated from their parents or other important family members. They are constantly worried about being kidnapped or lost, or that an accident might result in the loss of those closest to them. They might also have trouble sleeping on their own at night or refusing to go to school, camp, or play dates without their parents.

A child's separation anxiety symptoms should last for at least four weeks before a doctor will diagnose the condition. The healthcare professional may interview both the child as well as the parents individually to gather the complete picture. They may also ask questions regarding other anxiety disorders or life changes like family history and life events that may have triggered the separation anxiety.

Treatment for separation anxiety disorder differs based on the child's age and the severity of symptoms. Younger children typically express their anxiety by expressing specific fears about harm to their loved ones like the fear that their parents could be injured in a car accident or be attacked by a burglar. By contrast older children who suffer from separation anxiety usually deny that they are anxious about leaving their home.

Children who have anxiety about separation are often treated using behavioral therapy. It involves teaching relaxation techniques to children and helping them understand and manage their anxiety. In some cases it is necessary to combine therapies, including cognitive therapy, is used.

Adults should be consistent in their responses to children who are experiencing anxiety over separation. Children need to be aware that their pleas to parents not to leave them are not valid. They can only grow by receiving clear, unambiguous boundaries and assistance in conquering their fears.