Separation Anxiety Disorder in Adults - Symptoms, Causes & Treatments

Separation anxiety disorder is a mental health condition which involves an extreme fear of being separated from a close one. In addition, adults who suffer from anxiety disorders, panic disorders, phobias, and agoraphobia can also develop the signs and symptoms of this mental disorder.

Please read this article to learn more about separation anxiety in adults, its types, causes, risks and treatment procedures.

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What Is Separation Anxiety in Adults?

Adults generally experience this disorder when they get physically separated from their loved ones or close ones, especially their children. The thought of separation from the ones they are emotionally attached creates a phobia or anxiety.

While researchers haven't been able to conclude the exact reason behind this disorder, a journal, Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, identified that the section of the brain that processes emotional responses (amygdala) is immensely engaged. Therefore, adults who have separation anxiety disorder are extremely responsive.

What Are the Symptoms of Separation Anxiety in Adults?

It is very natural to be concerned about your close ones, but when it is extreme, you have anxiety disorders. Adults with separation anxiety disorder experience extreme panic attacks when they do not find their close ones with them. Symptoms of separation anxiety in adults include:

Unable to Interact Socially: When you have this disorder, you withdraw yourself from social interactions. You cannot communicate in a group, so you do not have an independent social life. Furthermore, when you travel anywhere, you want your close one to accompany you.
Over-concerned/Over-possessive Attitude: Strict-over-concerned adults or over-possessive partners show extreme loneliness when their child/partner is not around. This fear of safety for loved ones might trigger anxiety attacks or depression.
Unexplained Fears of Harm: You might feel that your loved ones, your children, your spouse, or anyone who cares for you will be injured or might be abducted or lost, and this will physically separate you from them. Additionally, you experience constant fears of losing your loved ones to any illness.
Refuse to Be Away From Loved Ones: This disorder creates a feeling of hesitancy where you constantly refuse to be away from your home or the companionship of your close ones. You fear being left alone when your close ones are away from you.
Difficulty While Sleeping: As the fear grabs you, you might find it quite difficult to sleep away from your close ones as you fear that some time might happen to them. As a result, you experience repeated nightmares of separation, which might trigger panic attacks.
Difficulty in Concentrating: As you become highly dependent emotionally, you cannot concentrate on your tasks and activities. Therefore, when your close one is absent, you are impulsive and compulsively check the locations to assure yourself of their presence nearby.
Multiple Health Disorders: You will experience headaches, body aches, and diarrhoea when you are impulsive and overthink. Apart from that, separation anxiety disorder might be associated with frequent episodes of intense anxiety that might reach an extreme level within some time. As these symptoms continue to disrupt your daily life activities, you must immediately consult a doctor when these symptoms are persistent for more than six months.

What Are the Causes of Separation Anxiety in Adults?

There are several causes of separation anxiety in adults. These include:

An unexpected loss of a loved one/ a friend/partner creates a feeling of loneliness and triggers anxiety.
A sudden disruption in the smooth functioning of life when things do not happen according to your wish.
Extremely strict parental upbringing and over-possessive relationships can create a feeling of distress.
Diagnosis of any mental health disorder during childhood can have a great impact too.
Frequent conflicts in relationships, forced separations, and traumatic episodes in life might lead to panic attacks and hence this disorder.
If you have a family history of anxiety or trauma, this might also trigger the symptoms.
It can happen if you have been severely bullied during childhood or even in your workplace, and you tend to seek the presence of a trustworthy person. If you do not have one, it triggers anxiety.
Feeling of abandonment if you have been hurt or have experienced extreme abuse, neglect or loss during childhood.
Certain neurological issues, traumatic brain injuries, developmental delays and disturbing phases of life can spark symptoms of this disorder.
Co-dependent relationships are where individual identities are confused, and partners do not have an equal balance of power.

What Are the Risk Factors of Separation Anxiety in Adults?

The risk factors of separation anxiety disorder in adults are listed below:

If you have blood relatives with similar traits of separation anxiety disorder, you might likely face similar experiences due to inheritance.
Certain environmental issues that include witnessing or being a victim of any traumatic episode or disaster due to which there was separation can have a severe impact on the mind.
Loss of a child or divorce of parents at a young age, loss of a pet or moving away from a place you loved the most can cause severe mental trauma.
If you have an obsessive-compulsive disorder or are suffering from depression, you are likely to develop symptoms of this disorder.

How to Diagnose Separation Anxiety in Adults?

To diagnose the disorder, your physician will consider the following ways:

Firstly, your doctor will ask you multiple questions regarding your health and try to understand if you have any case history of mental health disorder. They will also try to comprehend whether you still suffer from any symptoms.
According to DSM-V, the early signs of this disorder include extreme fear or anxiety as you think about separation from your loved one.
Your physician will try to understand if the symptoms present for more than six months and severely disrupt your everyday activities.
Your doctor will recommend you to a therapist who will conduct multiple sessions to determine the severity of the disorder.
They will also have a word with their loved ones or family to understand how this disorder affects them and their symptoms.

How to Treat Separation Anxiety in Adults?

Although there is no specific treatment method for this disorder, the treatment procedure includes psychotherapy and medications. Therefore, the discussion is as follows:

Therapies:

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: A common therapy used to treat anxiety disorders, cognitive behavioural therapy helps to identify negative thought processes that impact your emotions and impulsiveness. Through this therapy, your therapist goes to the roots of the cause of this disorder and tries to reshape your lifestyle. As a result, you can relieve anxiety, panic, depression and stress through CBT.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: This therapy employs behavioural strategies and mindfulness strategies to help you cope with depression, stress or addiction. Unlike other treatments, this therapy doesn't reduce your symptoms but encourages you to act meaningfully. For example, it allows people to accept wrongdoing and not be pressured by guilt.
Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy: This therapy blends the components of both mindfulness and cognitive behavioural therapies. It further allows you to develop positive thoughts by helping you to manage your disturbing emotions and thoughts.
Dialectical Behavioural Therapy: DBT mainly includes interpersonal thoughts, skills training and regulation of emotions so that you can manage, cope and tolerate your painful emotions. It helps to identify extreme behavioural patterns and replace them with a more positive attitude.
Solution-focused Therapy: A form of psychotherapy where your therapist sets precise and realistic goals to treat conflicts and addictions through this method. Your therapist teaches you to find solutions to your problems and be confident about yourself even if there is no one to support you.
Family/Group Therapy: An effective method to treat your disorder, family and group therapy include processes where your therapist asks your family or close group to interact with you. The more they support you and allow you to be independent, the more you become confident and learn to survive alone.
Art Therapy: It is a process of creating and appreciating creativity. Through this therapy, you can polish your skills and start loving the talents you have not practised all these days. It heals the mind to a great extent.
Narrative Therapy: This therapy allows you to take charge of yourself while sharing your stories with others. This reshapes your experience and removes your negative thoughts from a traumatic past.

Medications:

Medicines such as anti-anxiety depressants and antidepressants (Buspirone or Benzodiazepines) effectively treat separation anxiety in adults. However, before your doctor prescribes medications, you must let them know in case you are allergic to anything or have any case history. This will reduce the risks of any severe side effects.

Home- Remedies:

Practising Mindfulness: A highly effective method to treat separation anxiety disorder, mindfulness allows you to concentrate on yourself and stay focused. It allows you to control your mind and manage your emotions, reducing negative thoughts.
Meditation and Yoga: Both effectively treat any mental health disorder. Yoga and meditation console and comfort your mind, keeping it at peace. Yoga allows the lowering of stress hormones as it increases brain chemicals (endorphins) and gamma-aminobutyric acid. These relax your mind, reduce anxiety and enhance your mood.
Writing down thoughts: Record your inner thoughts and experiences by writing them down in a diary. This will unburden your emotions, and you will express yourself through journaling. By doing this, you are self-reflecting to cope with the challenges you experienced in life.
Help From Support Group: If you face extreme social detachment due to this disorder, you can seek help from a support group. Talk to them and let them know how you feel and vice versa. This will help you control your anxiety and panic attacks.

When to See a Doctor?

Separation anxiety in adults is often difficult to diagnose until the symptoms are extreme. However, you must see a doctor when you notice the following signs:

Over-impulsive behaviour, causing harm to oneself
Lack of control over emotions and feelings
Aggressive and violent behaviour when unable to see the close one
Extreme health issues due to lack of sleep
Negative effects on family and relationships
Hamper in workflow due to over-impulsive or obsessive behaviour

How to Manage and Prevent Separation Anxiety in Adults?

The only way to control the symptoms of this disorder is by preventing the occurrence of symptoms. You can do that by following ways to reduce risks:

Try to learn about the disorder and be aware of your behavioural patterns
A journal plan will reduce severity and risks as you unburden yourself by writing down your experiences
Try to indulge yourself in pleasing and fun-loving activities
Share and speak about your experience to any trustworthy person

Now you have an idea about separation anxiety in adults and how you can treat it effectively. However, if you find the symptoms unbearable, consult your doctor immediately. As these signs are quite harmful and might include self-harm due to possessiveness, entering into a treatment process early will benefit in the long term.

FAQs About Separation Anxiety Disorder in Adults

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Can music therapy treat separation anxiety in adults?

Music therapy greatly is an effective tool that reduces several symptoms of this disorder. Music therapy is a creative way to express your feelings as it calms your mind. Thus, it helps manage anxiety and stress and keeps you away from negative thoughts.

Can miscarriages be a reason for separation anxiety in adults?

Most women who experience a miscarriage become prone to depression and anxiety. This triggers the feeling of loss of a near one and hence separation anxiety. It disrupts the quality of life and might persist for more than 1 year. Hence, early treatment is always recommended by the experts.