Separation Anxiety Disorder
We have seen children screaming and crying to make their parents understand that they do not like to live alone, without their parents, at school, in boarding or even at home. Normally, every baby develops attachment towards its mother and father and towards all those who are frequently involved with it as it grows. Whenever the near and dear adult leaves the child, it becomes anxious and insecure. Most of the children have separation anxiety, as they grow up with a sense of security and healthy attachment, the symptoms of anxiety die away. If separation anxiety continues to be there impairing a person’s personal relationships and his life style, then this problem should be taken seriously and the person should seek professional help.
What is Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD)
Every child goes through a phase in which they experience separation anxiety as a part of normal intellectual development. The Separation Anxiety Disorder is manifested in a child when he is separated from his primary caregiver and the child shows distress by crying or screaming or by other ways.
The separation anxiety develops in children along with an intellectual skill called object permanence. They learn to remember objects and particular persons who are present at a specific moment, they are able to recall mental images but at times even miss them.
The children during this phase with separation anxiety understand that a person is leaving but they do not understand that people do return once they are gone. They know from the actions of a person that he/she is going to leave within a few minutes, but they do not understand that the person will return. At this point, the anxiety begins to build in them and they try to stop that person from leaving.
What are the symptoms of Separation Anxiety Disorder?
| Repeated excessive distress when separated or anticipated separation from home or a major attachment figure.Fear of losing or possible major harm to the major attachment figure.Too much apprehension that a sudden incident will lead to separation from a major attachment figure.Refuse to go to sleep without the presence of the major attachment figure.Experiencing repeated nightmares on the theme of separation.Showing physical symptoms such as headaches, stomachaches, nausea, or vomiting on probable separation from the major attachment figure or when separation occurs. |
How Separation Anxiety Disorder is diagnosed?
Usually, separation anxiety is not diagnosed if the symptoms are normal for their age. When the child shows severe or uncommon symptoms or the separation anxiety continues after adolescence, then the mental health professional diagnoses it on the basis of the history and interview.
What are the causes and risk factors associated with Separation Anxiety Disorder?
There are a few triggers that may develop separation anxiety disorder in a child;
| A personal experience of a traumatic event or hearing a scary event. As for example experiencing an earthquake or a story of kidnapping a childA long time separation from one of the parents…for example, if the father is a military officer, he is absent from the child’s life for long periodsStress in the family due to a serious issue, like a pending divorce, death of a family member due to illnessA momentous change in life caused by the birth of a new sibling or starting a new school etc |
Researches show that the chemical imbalance of norepinephrine and serotonin in the brain also contributes to separation disorder. And again, there is a genetic element associated with this disorder, the child who is born from parents with anxiety disorder is expected to develop anxiety disorder on his own. Most importantly, separation disorder is a special risk factor for children who have agoraphobic parent.
How separation anxiety disorder may affect the child?
Severe separation anxiety disorder may limit the child’s normal growth and involvement in different activities of life. At the same time, a child who grows up with ignored separation anxiety disorder may fail to have healthy and loving relationship as an adult.
Here are a few affects particularly associated with separation anxiety disorder;
| Children limit activities for the fear of separation, so they live an isolated life.As the children with separation anxiety disorder grow up, they understand that the fear is abnormal and non-existent in others, so they detach themselves from others.Children with separation anxiety disorder are more prone to disorders like agoraphobia, panic disorder and school phobia.They experience difficulty in developing relationship because they do not have the sense of security and trust for other people. |
How Separation Anxiety Disorder is treated?
Parents play the most important role in the treatment of separation anxiety disorder. Parents have to learn to empathize with their child and remain calm when the child is anxious. Knowledge of child’s anxiety triggers, and comparing it with the parents’ behavior will help a lot. The parent or the primary caregiver will have to learn to listen to the child, remind the child of past success and future happiness (how you left and how then returned). Using tricks like playing peek-a-boo to let the child understand that after disappearing or leaving, the person comes back is a good way. The parents can help their child tremendously by giving the child assurance, love and safety and whenever possible, preparing the child for the impending separation and keeping promises by coming to home back on time or picking up from school.
Parents may also involve teachers and school to use strategies to make the school more comfortable for children with separation anxiety disorder.
Also, there are more ways to treat separation anxiety disorder using different types of psychotherapy.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy : In this therapy, the child learns to challenge negative and fearful thoughts while developing positive thoughts by changing his thought process. He also learns to practice alternative behavior.
Family Therapy : In this therapy, parents learn to manage the illness of their child as well as parenting skills. This therapy helps family members to build a team work and take the responsibility because a child’s problem affects the harmony of the entire family.
Play Therapy : This therapy teaches the child to express his feelings using toys, puppets, games, and art materials.
Bibliotherapy : In this therapy, the therapist uses stories from books to model healthy separation behavior.