VERIFIED CONTENTAuthor: lek. Tomasz Nęcki

Separation anxiety is a disorder in which the patient is extremely afraid of separation from his / her loved one. Separation anxiety is also associated with persistent thoughts about breaking up with loved ones, but also with physical ailments. This entity occurs primarily in children, but separation anxiety is also found in adults. How can you tell if you are experiencing separation anxiety? What are its symptoms?

Separation anxietyis a type of anxiety disorder - one of the most common problems faced by psychiatrists. Individuals such as panic attacks or claustrophobia are rather commonly known, however, there are many different mental disorders related to the feeling of anxiety by patients. Theseparation anxiety .

is one of the less known - although relatively frequent - anxiety disorders

What is separation anxiety?

In English literature, separation anxiety is sometimes referred to with the abbreviationSAD , which is derived from the English name "separation anxiety disorder". The essence of separation anxiety is that the patient experiences anxiety in situations in which he or she would part - even for a very short time - with someone close to him. The occurrence of such a phenomenon is certainly understandable for parents - in the early stages of life (typically around 9-11 months of age), the child begins to react with crying, anger or irritability when the parent, usually mother, disappear from his sight. During this period of their development, toddlers may also become shy and avoid contact with strangers.

Indeed, the phase of separation anxiety at some point in a child's life is somewhat of a natural phenomenon, but only as long as this fear does not reach pathological intensity. It should also be emphasized that if the fears of separating from the parents are a natural stage of a child's development, then after some time (different for different children, usually between the ages of 3 and 5), these fears simply disappear. However, in the course of separation anxiety, the situation is different - the child grows up and still experiences unpleasant ailments,whenever she has to part with her loved ones for a while.

Separation anxiety, according to various authors, is seen in children with a different frequency, but overall it is estimated that even 5% of all pediatric patients may suffer from it. As with other types of anxiety disorders, separation anxiety is more common in girls than in boys. Symptoms of separation anxiety may appear in several-year-olds, but it is also possible that the discomforts associated with this disorder will not appear until the child grows up and enters the teenage years.

Causes of separation anxiety

Separation anxiety is caused by the combined action of three groups of factors: biological, psychological and environmental. The biological basis of separation anxiety would be related to the genes inherited by patients - there is a noticeable greater tendency to the occurrence of separation anxiety in those children in whose families someone (especially mother or father) suffered from some anxiety disorders themselves. Children whose parents suffer from other types of mental disorders, such as depression, also have an increased risk of developing SAD.

In the case of psychological factors influencing the development of separation anxiety, there are mainly problems with the proper reaction of the patient's psyche to the fear he feels. Inability to react properly to unpleasant emotions and the associated emotional oversensitivity may lead to the occurrence of various anxiety disorders, including separation anxiety.

In turn, among the environmental factors that may be the causes of separation anxiety, there are various problems related to parental care, but not only. This anxiety disorder can be fostered by both an excess of care on the part of caregivers and a lack of attention paid to the little person. A parent's illness, loss of job or separation of spouses can also lead to separation anxiety in the child. It is also pointed out that separation anxiety may appear in connection with the experience of a catastrophe or after participation in an accident (e.g. a car accident). The risk of this problem also increases when the child becomes a victim of peer harassment and when the little patient experiences some form of violence at home.

Symptoms of separation anxiety

Separation anxiety - as you can easily guess - occurs primarily in situations when a patient experiencing this problem has to part with someone close to him. An example of suchthe situation may be the parent going to work or - even for a moment - to the store. The patient may also experience symptoms of separation anxiety when he or she is to leave the house - in the case of children, this is especially true when they are about to go to school.

Separation anxiety can manifest itself differently depending on the age of the child experiencing this problem. The smallest children, seeing that their guardian is about to leave them, may react to it with irritability, outbursts of anger or crying. Older children can make every effort to stay with their parents - they may, for example, complain about some somatic problems (e.g. stomach pain) in order to avoid going to school.

Separation anxiety has several problems, such as:

  • unjustified fear of breaking up with the guardian - importantly, this fear appears not only when there is a temporary separation, but also at the very thought of such a possibility;
  • frequent fear of death or a serious illness by a loved one;
  • nightmares about separation with loved ones - children may, for example, dream that they will be kidnapped and thus separated from their loved ones.

In the course of separation anxiety, patients may also experience various somatic ailments. Like the feeling of anxiety, they may appear directly in connection with the separation, but also when imagining such a possibility. These kinds of physical symptoms of separation anxiety can be:

  • headaches,
  • stomach pains,
  • sleep disorders,
  • nausea,
  • vomiting,
  • photophobia,
  • chest pains,
  • dizziness.
Important

Separation anxiety: recognizing

Anxiety disorders in the form of separation anxiety are diagnosed primarily on the basis of the identification of problems characteristic for this individual. It should be emphasized, however, that the suspicion of separation anxiety does not release the doctor from carrying out a thorough diagnosis in the patient. This necessity is related to the fact that in patients with SAD other mental disorders often coexist. Among the individuals that are found more often in people suffering from separation anxiety, there are, among others, depressive disorders, ADHD and bipolar disorder.

About the authorBow. Tomasz NęckiA graduate of medicine at the Medical University of Poznań. An admirer of the Polish sea (most willingly strolling hiswith headphones in your ears), cats and books. In working with patients, he focuses on always listening to them and spending as much time as they need.

Separation anxiety in adults

Until recently, it was believed that separation anxiety was purely a child's mental disorder and that its diagnosis was necessary before the patient was 18 years of age. This meant that the patient could deal with the symptoms of separation anxiety in adulthood, but the onset of the disorder had to occur before he reached the age of majority. Currently, this view has changed and separation anxiety can be diagnosed in people who will experience ailments characteristic of this individual at any time in their lives.

Separation anxiety occurring at any point in life can certainly significantly worsen its quality, but it can be especially noticeable in older patients. An adult with separation anxiety may experience separation anxiety, either with their partner or their children. This type of problem may interfere with the functioning of the patient in a unique way - adults with SAD may avoid, for example, going to work, which may have an obvious impact on the functioning of either their relationships or entire families.

Separation anxiety: treatment

Treatment of separation anxiety is based on psychotherapeutic interactions. It is not possible to indicate one specific type of therapy that can help the patient overcome separation anxiety - in some patients the best results are obtained thanks to cognitive therapy, for others, cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy helps. Psychoeducation also plays an extremely important role in alleviating the symptoms of separation anxiety.

Pharmacological treatment is sometimes implemented in people with SAD, but it is actually a rarity. Patients suffering from separation anxiety are sometimes recommended to use antidepressants (e.g. from the SSRI group), however, such treatment is reserved only for those with the most severe symptoms of anxiety and for those in whom non-pharmacological treatment methods do not bring the expected results. .

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Child's he alth