Separation Anxiety Disorder by Emily Burdett

overview -

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Separation Anxiety Disorder is primarily associated with intense fear or anxiety about being separated from people to whom an individual is emotionally attached

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A. Developmentally inappropriate and excessive fear or anxiety concerning separation from those to whom the individual is attached, as evidenced by at least three (or more) of the following:

recurrent excessive distress when experiencing seperation
persistence and excessive worry about experiencing an untoward event that causes seperation from major attachment figure
reluctance or refusal to go out, away from home, elsewhere, due to fear of seperation
repeated nightmares involving theme of seperation
repeated complaints of physical symptoms when separation from attachment figure occurs
(not limited to these)

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B. The fear, anxiety, or avoidance is persistent, lasting at least:

4 weeks in children and adolescents
6 months or more in adults

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C. The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, academic, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

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D. The disturbance is not better explained by another mental disorder, such as:

Refusal to leave home due to Agoraphobia
Fear of social situations due to Social Anxiety Disorder
Worries about illness in Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Hallucinations or delusions in Psychotic Disorders
Concerns about physical health in Illness Anxiety Disorder
Fear of separation in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Some with Separation Anxiety Disorder may...

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feel extreme worry when they are not with their loved one, which can lead to obsessive thoughts about them becoming harmed (eg- they get into an accident)
experience physical effects such as headaches and nausea
face disturbances to their sleep and have nightmares
will avoid leaving their loved one so may miss/get out of going to school etc

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some studies found a one-year prevalence of separation anxiety disorder of 4.3% (Tanios et al, 2009; Spence et al, 2018)

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Shear et al. found lifetime prevalence of separation anxiety disorder between 1.4% and 6.6%, also showed high co-morbidity with other psychiatric disorders

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when suspected, separation anxiety disorder usually diagnosed after the age of 6 or 7

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normal separation anxiety occurs around 6-12 months and declines by age 3-5. however separation anxiety disorder is diagnosed when the fear and anxiety are excessive, persistent and developmentally inappropriate

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by ages 13-18, while many children outgrow separation anxiety disorder, some continue to experience symptoms into adolescence. symptoms: less over crying, anxiety may manifest as excessive texting, difficulty attending social events, withdrawal from peers

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Adult-onset separation anxiety does exist, underrecognized in adults, symptoms include worry about losing loved ones, difficulty being alone, avoidance of travel or job opportunities requiring separation