Separation Anxiety Disorder in Kids - Causes and Remedies

To know what actually separation anxiety disorder in kids is, it is first imperative to know the difficulties that toddlers and infants have with unknowns and in parting from caretakers and parents. Infants usually show stranger anxiety by crying, when any unfamiliar person approaches them.

Stranger or separation anxiety mostly starts during the eight month and ends at the age of two years, as stated by American Academy of Pediatrics. It is a normal mental condition occurring in childhood characterized by distressed behavior of kids. In fact, it is reported that, 4-5% of kids suffer from this disorder all around the world.

Separation anxiety disorder may also continue to persist throughout an individual’s adulthood. The only difference in adults is that, it can culminate into Agoraphobia or Panic disorder or a combination of both.

There are many factors responsible such as an abnormality in the brain causing reduced amount of carbonic acid gas in your blood and a belief that the brain is not getting enough oxygen. This ultimately leads to adrenaline rush causing separation anxiety symptoms. Alcoholic people can also make their child more susceptible to separation anxiety.

Causes

Several factors are responsible for separation anxiety disorder such as biological, environmental and family life. The most common cause of separation anxiety is chemical imbalance between two vital chemical substances found in the brain. These important chemicals are norepinephrine or serotonin. Below discussed are few symptoms of separation anxiety:

• Repeated extreme anxiety about certain bad events to loved ones or panic to lose them
  
• Increased concern regarding either being kidnapped or getting lost
  
• Repetitive hesitancy or refusal to attend school or daycare center without dear ones 
  
• Persistence refusal to go to sleep at night-time without being close to dear ones
  
• Recurring nightmares regarding being separated from dear ones
  
• Recurrent physical illnesses such as stomach aches, headaches, when separation is expected or likely to occur

Remedies

One of the best ways to grapple separation anxiety disorder is to give the kids with proper medical care along with psychological treatments. Try to take your child outside the world and encourage him or her to participate or play with other kids of same age. In addition, it is wise to consult a counselor to adopt an optimistic approach to get rid of bad thoughts that develop in your kid’s mind to get rid of anxiety problem from its root.

For instance, you can teach your kids with certain relaxation and breathing exercise to help him or her feel relaxed. These techniques with anti-depressants and tranquillizers consumed in a regulated way under professional medical care will help your kid to overcome this anxiety disorder.

Finally, if nothing works, then it is advisable to take your kid to a qualified physiatrist, once the symptoms start to appear and become severe. This is certainly the best possible way to treat separation anxiety disorder in kids and make their future bright and lively.

More information about Anxiety Treatment | Back to Separation Anxiety Disorder.