Leaving your baby with a caregiver or daycare center can be a heart-wrenching experience when the child desperately clings to you and cries uncontrollably as you say goodbye and prepare to leave. Separation anxiety in infants, however, is a normal part of childhood development, although severe separation anxiety that persists after the age of 2 may be cause for concern.
Separation Anxiety
According to MayoClinic.com, separation anxiety in infants typically takes place between the ages of 8 and 12 months. Although the experience can be grueling for parents, separation anxiety is actually an "emotional milestone" in your child's development as he begins to understand that there is only one of you, and you don't cease to exist when you disappear from his sight. Unfortunately, this realization is often accompanied by crying and clingy behavior that can prove frustrating to deal with.
Symptoms
Stressful situations such as medical appointments can increase the severity of separation anxiety, and a child may experience extreme distress in the absence of a parent of primary caregiver. Some symptoms of severe separation anxiety include nightmares and a reluctance to go to sleep without the presence of a parent or primary caregiver. A child may also feel reluctant to go to daycare or any other place where the caregiver won't be present. Severe separation anxiety may also result in the child frequently complaining of physical ailments in an attempt to keep the parent or caregiver nearby.
Dealing With Severe Separation Anxiety
The level of severity of separation anxiety can vary from child to child, and severe separation anxiety between the age of 8 and 14 months is not uncommon. For most children, separation anxiety ends somewhere around the age of 2 years, as toddlers understand the concept that parents may be out of sight but will return later. However, even children who seem to have overcome separation anxiety may relapse in times of stress --- such as illness or in an unfamiliar situation. If severe separation anxiety continues beyond age 2, it may be appropriate to have the child evaluated by a psychiatrist to determine if this condition is rooted in an anxiety disorder. For older children who have not outgrown separation anxiety, treatment may include anti-anxiety medication, counseling for parents and child, and possible alterations in parenting techniques. In severe cases, treatment my consist of family therapy and individual psychotherapy for the child.
Separation Anxiety Disorder
A study undertaken at Tokyo Women's Medical University suggests that severe separation anxiety in children may lead to severe anxious-fearful personality disorders in later life. If a child hasn't outgrown separation anxiety by the age of 2, this may be symptomatic of separation anxiety disorder, which causes children to experience undue distress when separated from parents or caregivers, causing dramatic scenes whenever a "goodbye" scenario takes place. If a child is diagnosed with separation anxiety disorder, behavioral therapy is often used to teach parents and caregivers to keep goodbyes short and react to a child's protestations in a casual, matter-of-fact manner.
References
- U.S. National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus: Separation Anxiety
- The Merck Manual Home Health Handbook: Separation Anxiety
- MayoClinic.com: Separation Anxiety
- U.S. National Library of Medicine; Possible Link Between Childhood Separation Anxiety and Adulthood Personality Disorder in Patients With Anxiety Disorders in Japan; A. Osone and S. Takahashi; September 2006
- The Merck Manual Home Health Handbook: Separation Anxiety Disorder
