Causes of Separation Anxiety Disorder

Separation anxiety disorder can be caused by a couple of factors present before or after the birth of a child. These factors include genetic factors and environmental factors. Let’s have a look over these factors briefly to understand that how such minor things in normal life could become a cause of complicated mental disorders. 

Genetic Factors Causing Separation Anxiety Disorder

Genetic factors causing separation anxiety disorder in infants include the disturbed mental or physiological condition of mother during the period of pregnancy. If a woman is feeling stressed or depressed during this crucial period of 9 months it could lead towards enhancing the probability of developing separation disorder in her child, particularly if a mother is feeling tense due to the lack of love and care she needs from her husband or other family members. Such feelings of loneliness and being deprived or separated from loved ones can be transferred to her child easily. It is also possible that such kind of depression or anxiety could cause her to indulge in substance abuse which would further complicate the situation and would increase the risk factor for coming baby.            

Environmental Factors Causing Separation Anxiety Disorder

Environmental factors include socioeconomic environment in which child is being nourished. If mutual relationships among his family members and particularly among his parents are disturbed then it could develop a sense of insecurity in that child which further deepens to convert into the form of mental disturbance in the form of separation anxiety disorder. Moreover if his family is facing persistent financial problems and are degraded by other people on the account of their poor social status then this thing could also disturbs a child’s mind and could lead towards developing the separation anxiety disorder.          

Diagnosis of Separation Anxiety Disorder

Separation anxiety disorder can be diagnosed by asking various questions to people living around him about the child’s habits, likes and dislikes, his socioeconomic conditions, his relationship and attachment to various things and persons, factors causing to disturb him and above all his parent’s behavior and communication with him etc. Child health care practitioner or psychiatrist can also ask questions to child himself. Such answer question sessions help a lot to find out the actual cause behind this disorder and then its treatment can be started to get rid of it completely. During these sessions the interviewing personality is asked to speak freely with no pressure or burden over his or her mind to get the actual picture of situation causing disturbance for child and his family members.             

During the session more than one person can be present there to ask questions to diagnose the presence and severity of separation anxiety disorder in a child. These interviewing persons can include a psychiatrist, child psychologist and child health specialist etc. Every professional present there ask several questions to the child and his family or people living around him. After asking questions, each and every factor is evaluated and analyzed in the light of long research and experience of child behaviors and then specific treatment option is recommended to deal with separation anxiety disorder successfully.