Separation Anxiety

You have always dropped off your kid at the day care center and you have never encountered any problem --- until today. Today, your 1-year old kid is incredibly clingy. You see signs of anxiousness and extreme worry whenever you move away from him. He doesn't want to let you go and it seems like he will not stop crying until he's assured that you will never go away. This is a sign of separation anxiety.

Separation anxiety is an anxiety disorder that is fairly common. It usually affects children and young adolescents. A child with this condition experiences frequent and recurrent excessive anxiety that is beyond expected of an average child. This anxiety is triggered by separation or impending separation from the kid's attachment figure, who is usually the parent or the caretaker. It generally occurs over a period of at least four weeks.

This anxiety disorder is a developmentally normal characteristic in children younger than four upon separation from a parent or other primary attachment figures. Clinging behavior and mild distress are anticipated for short periods of time in situations like first day of school. This anxiety is short-term and is expected to pass in a few days. Typically, it is not severe enough to interfere with the daily life of the child.

However, children who are overly fearful in the earlier stages of their life may eventually develop separation disorder that results in substantial impairment. When the distress and anxiousness that the child experiences last for weeks and it seems like it doesn't improve at all, then he / she may have developed severe separation anxiety. It may worsen over time. Also, it may persist to the point that the kid experiences difficulty adjusting to the new environment leading to unimpressive academic performance.

Experts believe that altered sensitivity to maternal cortisol and other endocrine influences are to blame for this condition. Aside from that, the amygdala and other certain parts of the brain are also being looked into becaise they are known to modulate the processing of emotional experiences.

• unrealistic worries about his / her safety and of his / her loved ones

• reluctance to fall asleep if not beside or near the attachment figure

• tantrums and excessive dismay if separation is imminent

• nightmares

• homesickness

• psychosomatic reactions such as dizziness, headache, lightheadedness, nausea, muscle aches, vomiting, stomach upset and heart palpitations

Like all the other anxiety disorders, separation anxiety disorder is treated with medication, cognitive-behavioral therapy or both. Aside from this, the child, her family and school should work together with the physician in designing a plan to accomplish a slow but successful return to developmentally expected function in school and other social events. It is important to acknowledge the level of distress of the child. Positive reinforcement aids must be utilized to encourage the child to realize that there is nothing to fear in such situations.