Separation Anxiety Disorder

Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety disorders are conditions that share symptoms of unwarranted panic and anxiety, as well as accompanying behavioral abnormalities. The condition is defined by two basic emotions: fear and anxiety. Anxiety is a person’s fear of a potential harm. Fear, on the other hand, is an emotional reaction to a real or perceived impending threat. In some circumstances, fear and anxiety are used interchangeably. Fear is largely related with the various reactions a person can have in response to a threat, such as fleeing or fighting. Anxiety is all about the body’s reaction, such as muscle tenseness, avoidance, and vigilance in preparation for potential danger. Pervasive avoidance behaviors reduces the level of anxiety and fear.

Diagnosing Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety disorders appear to closely resemble each other but close examination of specific aspects helps to differentiate the conditions. The illnesses can be correctly diagnosed through scrutiny of exact situations that are causing fear and the idea of avoidance as well as the associated beliefs and thoughts. The anxiety conditions are dissimilar from developmentally normative fear because they persist for long and the levels are higher than that of developmentally normative anxiety or fear. The paper will specifically focus on Separation Anxiety Disorder as one of the anxiety conditions.

Separation Anxiety Disorder

The fundamental aspect of separation anxiety disorder is the feeling of too much anxiety and fear about detachment from attachment figures or from home. The person’s developmental level can be based on determine whether the anxiety and fear exceeds the expected level. There are specific criteria that are based on to correctly diagnose separation anxiety disorder. For a person to be diagnosed with the condition, he or she must demonstrate one of the following three symptoms; they feel too much distress when they are separated or plan to be disconnected from a major attachment figure or from home. A person is suspected to suffer from separation anxiety disorder when he or she is concerned or worried about the wellbeing or death of attachment figure especially when they are detached from them and they always want to know the whereabouts of the attachment figures and wish to keep in touch with them when they are away. The third criterion for diagnosis of the disease is when an individual worry concerning unfortunate occurrences on him or herself for instance, being tortured, an accident, a natural calamity, being kidnaped in addition to other events that leads to development of fear. The fear and anxiety is caused by the realization that the events would lead to him or her to be completely separated from their major attachment figures. Separation anxiety disorder victims are characterized by fears of going out by themselves because of the fears of being separated. Persons suffering from the condition cannot stay alone at home or in other place because they always want to be in contact with main attachment of figures. Children with the condition cannot stay without their parents or other people close to them. Physical symptoms like abdominal pains, headaches, and nausea can be used to diagnose the illness in children. When a person demonstrates any three of the mentioned symptoms, they are diagnosed with separation anxiety disorder. Another criteria like withdrawal, apathy, sadness, and lack of concentration by children that have been separated from their attachment figures can be use diagnose separation anxiety disorder.

Prevalence of Separation Anxiety Disorder

The 12-month prevalence of separation anxiety disorder differs between adults and children. In adults within the United States, the prevalence is 0.9 percent -1.9 percent. The prevalence is higher amongst children because it is estimated to be 4percent. 12-month prevalence is 1.6 percent among the adolescents. Separation anxiety disorder occurrence decreases with increase in age because the prevalence reduces as children develops to adulthood. The condition is the most common anxiety related illness that affects children in the US. The children samples in clinical trials show that prevalence is same among males and females. However, the cases are common among females in the community because they account for more than 60 percent of the cases.

Development and Course of Separation Anxiety Disorder

Some signs of separation anxiety disorder are considered normal during the early development stages. The periods of heightened separation anxiety during the early stages indicate the development of secure attachment relationships. Infants at age of around 1 year suffer from stranger anxiety and it is considered a normal reaction. The beginning of separation anxiety disorder may be as early as during the preschool age and its occurrence might persist at any time during childhood. The condition is not common during the adolescence age. Characteristically, there are periods of reduction and exacerbation. There are cases in which the anxiety concerning avoidance situations and possible separations from the family members for example going to college when the time comes might persist across childhood. Research shows that children suffering from the illness are at a low risk of suffering from impairing anxiety disorders across their lifetimes. Some cases of separation anxiety disorder among the adults might have persisted since their childhood but most of them do not remember symptoms during their childhood. The appearances of signs of separation anxiety disorders is dependent on age. The reasons that cause fears among children vary as children grows. As they grow old, fears and anxiety develops as a result of particular fears like kidnaping, accidents, death, mugging in addition to other events that can negatively affect a person. In some cases, the condition affects a person’s ability to cope up with changes in situations for example moving from home or getting married. The adults that suffer from the disorder are characterized by being extremely over concerned about their children and spouses. They always wish to stay close to the close family members. Adults with the illness find it hard to interact with others because the urge of wanting to be close to their offspring, children, and marriage partners cannot allow them (Jang & Park, 2013).

Risk Factors and Vulnerability

The risk factors or vulnerability to separation anxiety disorder can be influenced by external or internal conditions. Things that happen in the environment account for many cases of separation anxiety disorder. The condition is mostly caused by life stresses that take place within the environments in which we stay. Some of the common occurrences include; death or serious illnesses of a close family member, death of a pet, migration, and divorce between parents, natural calamities that cause separation from attachment figures and many other events that disrupt the normal stay of a person. The environmental life stresses are also dependent on age. A stressful situation among children could be seen as normal in adults. In young adults, stress events include separation from parents when getting married, and falling in love. The severity of the disorder is reliant on the strength of the attachment between parents and their children. Overprotection from parents increases severity of the condition. Genetic and physiological aspects also account for several cases of separation anxiety disorder. The condition can be inherited because 73 percent of the cases among children were inherited from their parents.

Differential Diagnosis

Differential diagnosis between separation anxiety disorder and other related conditions can be done in different ways. The condition is isolated from generalized anxiety disorder because its anxiety is mainly caused by separation from attachment figures. When other fears develop, they do not outweigh the clinical presentation. Agoraphobia is differentiated from separation anxiety disorder because victims of agoraphobia are worried about being trapped or be affected in a way that will make their escape difficult. Separation anxiety disorder is differentiated from conduct disorder because avoidance is the only symptom observed and there is anxiety concerning separation.

Comorbidity

The comorbidity of separation anxiety disorder is high among children that suffer from generalized anxiety plus particular phobia. Among adults, common comorbidities take in generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobia, PTSD and other related conditions. Bipolar and depressive illnesses are as well comorbid with separation anxiety illness among adults (Dupuy & Ladouceur, 2008).

Cultural and Gender Issues

Separation anxiety disorder is affected by cultural, and gender issues. In some cultures, separation is taken with a lot of seriousness while in others, people do not care much about being separated from attachment figures. The outcomes of the condition also vary in relation to gender. The level of separation severity may be high in females than in boys. Some reactions that are considered to be normal in boys can amount to separation anxiety disorder in girls.

References

Dupuy, J., & Ladouceur, R. (2008). Cognitive processes of generalized anxiety disorder in comorbid generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder. Journal of Anxiety Disorders,22(3), 505-514. doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2007.05.010

Jang, S. R., & Park, H. B. (2013). A case of child seperation anxiety disorder with severe weight loss and school refusal. Yeungnam University Journal of Medicine, 10(1), 226. doi:10.12701/yujm.1993.10.1.226