Separation Anxiety (cont.)
What happens if separation anxiety disorder is left untreated?
Separation anxiety disorder puts its sufferers at risk for depression and anxiety problems as adults, including personality disorders, of which anxiety is a major symptom.
Where can I find more information on separation anxiety disorder?
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
3615 Wisconsin Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20016
Phone: (202) 966-7300
Fax: (202) 966-2891
www.aacap.org
American Academy of Pediatrics
141 Northwest Point Boulevard
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007-1098
Phone: (847) 434-4000
Fax: (847) 434-8000
Email: kidsdocs@aap.org
www.aap.org
Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA)
8730 Georgia Avenue, Suite 600
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Phone: (240) 485-1001
Fax: (240) 485-1035
Email: information@adaa.org
www.adaa.org
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Public Information & Communication Branch
6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 8184, MSC 9663
Bethesda, MD 20892-9663
Phone: (301) 443-4513
Toll Free: 1 (866) 615-6464
TTY: (301) 443-8431
TTY Toll Free: 1 (866) 415-8051
Fax: 301-443-4279
Email: nimhinfo@nih.gov
www.nimh.nih.gov
ParentLink
Phone: 1 (800) 552-8522
www.extension.missouri.edu/parentlink
Separation Anxiety Disorder At a Glance
- Infants show stranger anxiety by crying when someone unfamiliar approaches. It is a normal stage of development that usually starts at about 8 months of age and abates by 2 years of age.
- Separation anxiety as a normal life stage first develops at about 7 months of age, once object permanence has been established. It is at its strongest at 10 to 18 months and usually subsides by the age of 3 years.
- Separation anxiety disorder begins in childhood and is characterized by worrying out of proportion to the situation of temporarily leaving home or otherwise separating from loved ones.
- Four percent to 5% of children and adolescents suffer from separation anxiety disorder.
- Examples of separation anxiety disorder symptoms include school refusal or school phobia, resistance to going to bed at night, and physical complaints in reaction to actual or anticipated separation from primary caretakers.
- Professionals trained and experienced in assessing mental health in children will likely interview the child and parents separately and ask about symptoms of anxiety, screen for other mental health issues, and recommend the child receive a full medical evaluation.
- Separation anxiety disorder is likely caused by the combination of genetic and environmental vulnerabilities. Risk factors include low socioeconomic status, family histories of anxiety, and mothers who were stressed during pregnancy.
- A majority of children with separation anxiety disorder have school refusal as a symptom. Up to 80% of children who refuse school qualify for a separation anxiety disorder diagnosis.
- Counseling is usually considered the best treatment method compared to medications. Types of counseling used to treat separation anxiety disorder include behavioral, cognitive, and individual psychotherapies, as well as parent counseling and guiding teachers on how to help the child.
- SSRIs like fluvoxamine are considered the safest and most effective medications to treat separation anxiety disorder, followed by tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), with benzodiazepines as a last resort.
- Children with separation anxiety disorder are at higher risk for developing other mental health problems, particularly anxiety disorders.
References:
American Academy of Pediatrics. Separation anxiety disorder: planning treatment. Pediatrics in Review 2000; 21: 248.
den Boer JA. Social phobia: epidemiology, recognition and treatment. British Medical Journal 1997; 315: 796-800.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Treatment Revision. American Psychiatric Association; 2000, Washington, D.C.
Foley D, Rutter M, Pickles A, Angold A, Hermine M, Silberg J, Eaves L. Informant disagreement for separation anxiety disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 2004 April; 43(4): 452-460.
Fremont WP. School refusal in children and adolescents. American Family Physician 10/15/03.
Lewinsohn PM, Holm-Denoma JM, Small JW, Seeley JR, Joiner TE. Separation anxiety disorder in childhood as a risk factor for future mental illness. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 2008 May; 47(5): 548-555.
Masi G, Mucci M, Millepiedi S. Separation anxiety disorder in children and adolescents: epidemiology, diagnosis and management. CNS Drugs 2001: 15(2): 93-104.
National Institute of Mental Health. Behavioral therapy effectively treats children with social phobia. 12/17/07.
Osone A, Takahashi S. Possible link between childhood separation anxiety and adulthood personality disorder in patients with anxiety disorders in Japan. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 2006 Sept; 67(9): 1451-1457.
Physicians' Desk Reference Staff. Physicians' Desk Reference, 62nd Edition 2008; Blackwell Publishing: Oxford, United Kingdom.
Talge NM, Neal C, Glover V. Antenatal maternal stress and long-term effects on child neurodevelopment: how and why? Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 3/7/07; 48(3-4): 245-261.
van der Linden GJ, Stein DJ, van Balkom AJ. The efficacy of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for social anxiety disorder (social phobia): a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. International Clinical Psychopharmacology 2000 Aug; 15(2): S15-S23.
Walkup JT, Labellarte MJ, Riddle MA, Pine DS, Greenhill L, Klein R, Davies M, Sweeney M, Abikoff H, Hack S, Klee B, McCracken J, Bergman L, Piacentini J, March J, Compton S, Robinson J, O'Hara T, Baker S, Vitiello B, Ritz L, Roper M. Fluvoxamine for the treatment of anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. New England Journal of Medicine 4/26/01; 344 (17): 1279-1285.
Last Editorial Review: 11/3/2008
- citalopram, Celexa - Information about citalopram (Celexa) an antidepressant drug prescribed for depression, anxiety, OCD, panic disorder, PTSD, and premenstrual dysphoric syndrome.
- Psychotherapy - Mental Health: Psychotherapy To Treat Depressionin teens and adults
- Anxiety - Read about anxiety (generalized anxiety disorder, GAD) causes, physical symptoms and signs, medications and treatment. Learn about symptoms (worry, fear) and other types of anxiety disorders.
Latest Medical News
Mental Health RSS