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Separation Anxiety
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What is Separation Anxiety?
Separation anxiety isn’t only seen in children. It can also be seen in adults. Adults with separation anxiety have extreme fear that bad things will happen to important people in their lives, such as family members.
Researchers don’t know what causes this disorder. It’s often seen alongside other anxiety-related conditions, such as panic disorder, agoraphobia, and generalized anxiety disorder.
Separation anxiety in adults vs. children
Separation anxiety is a regular part of development for children between the age of six months to three years. When symptoms continue into late childhood, your child may be diagnosed as having child separation anxiety disorder.
If separation anxiety continues into adulthood, you’ll be diagnosed with adult separation anxiety disorder. Symptoms of anxiety disorder in children and adults are similar. For children, separation anxiety is often associated with extreme fear or anxiety about being away from parents or caregivers. That can make a child less willing to participate in events or social experiences, like spending the night at a friend’s house or going to summer sleepaway camp. For adults, the anxiety is around being away from children or spouses. Instead of school, work function or other responsibilities can become impaired.
Signs And Symptoms
It’s normal to be concerned about the well-being of loved ones. People with adult separation anxiety disorder experience high levels of anxiety, and sometimes even panic attacks, when loved ones are out of reach.
People with this disorder may be socially withdrawn, or show extreme sadness or difficulty concentrating when away from loved ones. In parents, the disorder can lead to strict, over-involved parenting. In relationships, you may be more likely to be an overbearing partner.
Other common symptoms include:
- unfounded fears that loved ones, or yourself, will be abducted or fatally injured
- extreme and persistent hesitancy or refusal to leave the proximity of loved ones
- difficulty sleeping away from a loved one for fear that something will happen to them
- depression or anxiety attacks related to any of the above topics
You may also have physical aches and pains, headaches, and diarrhea associated with periods of anxiety.
To be diagnosed with adult separation anxiety disorder, symptoms must impair functioning and continue for at least six months.
Treatment
Treatment for adult separation anxiety disorder is similar to treatments used to treat other anxiety disorders. Your medical provider may recommend a variety of treatments, or you may have to try several treatments before finding one that works for you. Possible treatments include:
- cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- group therapy
- family therapy
- dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT)
- medications, such as antidepressants
