In babies and toddlers, it is perfectly natural to feel distress and fear abandonment when caregivers are absent.
SAD affects not only children but also teens and adults who experience irrationalanxietydue to separation.
Oftentimes, more than one factor is involved.
Verywell / Brianna Gilmartin
These include:
Individual temperament also plays a part.
Diagnosis
Separation anxiety disorder is diagnosed based on criteria outlined in the DSM-5.
The diagnosis can be made by apsychologist,psychiatrist, orphysiciantrained and certified inmood disorders.
On top of this, no other cause of the symptoms and behaviors can be found.
However, if these interventions fail,antidepressantsmay sometimes be prescribed.
Common side effects include drowsiness, nausea, diarrhea, jitteriness, headache, and insomnia.
SAD is diagnosed based on criteria in the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.”
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Table 15.
DSM-IV to DSM-5 separation anxiety disorder comparison.
In:DSM-5 Changes: Implications for Child Serious Emotional Disturbance.
Rockville (MD): SAMHSA; 2016.
D.C. Department of Behavioral Health.Understanding separation anxiety in infants and young children.
World Health Organization.Anxiety disorders.
Thomason E, Oh W, Volling BL, Gonzalez R, Yu T.Chapter VI.
developmental trajectories of childrens anxiety and depression after the birth of a sibling.Monogr Soc Res Child Dev.
2019 Aug 26;11(8):e5487.
