Separation Anxiety Disorder
Separation anxiety disorder (SAD) is one of the most common emotional disorders in preschool children and is a type of anxiety disorder.
It is characterized by anxiety, unease, or unpleasant emotional reactions experienced by infants and toddlers when separated from their loved ones, with a desire for their parents or caregivers to stay by their side.
Separation anxiety typically becomes more pronounced around 18 months of age, but if this clinging behavior persists beyond age 4, it may be a symptom of separation anxiety disorder.
Does your child have the following symptoms?
1. Repeated distress when leaving home or being separated from parents
2. Persistent worry about losing parents or parents being harmed
3. Persistent fear that something bad will happen and force separation from parents
4. Unwilling to go to school or other places as is scared to be separated from parents
5. Scared to be alone
6. Afraid to go to sleep as fear of not being with parents
7. Recurring nightmares of separation
8. Constantly feeling unwell when separated from loved ones, such as headaches, stomach pains, vomiting
If excessive anxiety or fear persists for over 4 weeks, and your child has more than 3 symptoms, it is necessary to confirm with a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist the possibility of separation anxiety disorder.
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Evaluated by psychiatrist or clinical psychologist
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Consult with parents before evaluation
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Clinical observation of the child's speech, social interaction, communication, and behaviour
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The evaluation result will be explained to parents and treatment recommendations will be provided to parents
Separation anxiety disorder is often triggered by environmental factors. Medication alone
is generally not the first-line treatment. Psychotherapy is the main approach
recommended in clinical practice.
Psychotherapy
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Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
The main purpose is to make unreasonable negative thoughts noticeable, reduce anxiety, thus changing the behaviour.
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Family Therapy
Treating alongside parents can make children feel safer and more likely to share their worries and anxieties; especially when parents themselves have anxiety tendencies, the simultaneous treatment of both parents can accelerate the reduction of the individual's emotional distress.
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Play Therapy
As most of the patients are under the age of 8 with an under-developed language development, they usually are very anxious and have difficulty developing a trusting relationship with the therapist especially in an unfamiliar situation.
Therefore, using games as a medium can effectively reduce the anxiety and defensiveness of the patients and improve self-efficacy.