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Many of us have heard of separation anxiety disorder. Typically when we think of separation anxiety, we think of it as a childhood disorder and not a condition that adults could suffer from (see: Separation Anxiety In Children Going To School). However, findings have revealed that adult separation anxiety disorder does exist. It is entirely possible for separation anxiety disorder to continue into, or even be newly diagnosed in, adulthood.

What Is Adult Separation Anxiety?

Separation anxiety refers to individuals who experience overwhelming and, at times, incapacitating stress that is associated with being separated from persons who matter to them the most. For children, this is typically the parents. For adults, the attachment figure could be a spouse, significant other or friend. Research studies performed within the past 15 years in both the United States and Australia have concluded that adult separation anxiety is a very real condition. It is now recognized as the mental disorder – Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder or ASAD.

What Are The Symptoms Of Adult Separation Anxiety?

Separation anxiety occurs when people feel excessive stress when faced with being separated from their home or from a prominent person in their lives. Characteristics of adult separation anxiety include:
Anxiety that is developmentally inappropriate regarding separation
Recurring episodes of overwhelming stress when faced with separation
Extreme worry about the well-being of attachment figures
Extreme worry that a major event will cause a separation from the attachment figure
Refusal to go to work or school because of fear of separation
Worry about being alone without the attachment figure
Refusal to go to sleep without the attachment figure being present
Refusal to sleep outside of the home
Persistent nightmares revolving around separation
Physical complaints when faced with a possible separation
Fear
Dependence on significant other
Sexual dysfunction
Body function disturbances

Who Is Most Affected By Adult Separation Anxiety?

Research indicates that more women are affected by separation anxiety than men. However, men seem to have a greater onset of separation anxiety as adults while many women seem to have had the first onset beginning in childhood. Many factors appear to affect the prevalence of adult separation anxiety including marital status, education level and employment status. Risk factors for developing adult separation anxiety seem to be greater among the following groups:
Individuals that have been divorced or widowed
Individuals that have never been married
Individuals with less than 12 years of education
Individuals that are unemployed

How Can Adult Separation Anxiety Affect Your Life?

Adult separation anxiety disorder can be debilitating. It can affect many aspects of a person’s life and can interfere with relationships, household responsibilities and work. Often times, adult separation anxiety can also cause distress to the object of the person’s attachment. Separation anxiety can affect daily life in many ways including:
Causing fear, anxiety and worry that make it impossible for the person to function normally
Putting stress upon relationships
Preventing a person from forming healthy, stable relationships
Causing disturbances in sleep
Making each day difficult and unclear

What Is The Correlation With Other Psychological Disorders?

Many times, adult separation anxiety occurs in conjunction with other psychological disorders. Research estimates that more than 90 percent of adults with separation anxiety could be characterized as having another mental disorder as well. Additionally, adults with separation anxiety are more likely to have a drug dependency. The most common psychological disorders that are likely to be present with separation anxiety are:
Anxiety disorder
Phobias
PTSD
Depression
Mood disorder
Bipolar disorder
Substance abuse
Drug dependency

How Is Adult Separation Anxiety Treated?

Because adult separation anxiety is a recently recognized disorder, there is no fixed procedure designed specifically for treatment. Typically, adult separation anxiety is treated as any other anxiety disorder would be using medications and therapy. Unfortunately, many adults suffering with separation anxiety never receive treatment or they seek treatment only for other disorders that are happening in conjunction with the separation anxiety. Treatment for separation anxiety would likely be treated with the following:
Antidepressants
Cognitive behavior therapy
Relaxation techniques
Group therapy

What Are Some Tips For Coping With Adult Separation Anxiety?

According to Hal Shorey, a psychologist from Widener University in Pennsylvania; there are different types of attachment styles. Attachment style or type refers to the way in which an individual reacts to separation and was most probably developed earlier in life due to parental relationships and life experiences. The three attachment types are: secure, anxious and avoidant.
Secure, meaning that the person is comfortable with intimacy, is loving and warm. This accounts for just over 50 percent of the population.
Anxious, meaning the person is always worrying about how their partner feels about them and if they are loved.
Avoidant, meaning the person does not emphasize closeness but rather dismisses it.

No matter the type of attachment style you seem to posses or if you are a combination of the three, it is important to begin to cope with separation anxiety as it occurs. If you find yourself in a constant chain of worry regarding separating from your loved one, you have to try to get those thoughts out of your head. Try to remind yourself of where you are and what you are doing. Grounding yourself in this way can help to distract your worry and control your thoughts. Additionally, you may try to distract your thoughts by engaging in another activity that requires brainpower such as reading or writing in a journal.

Separation anxiety, once thought of as only a childhood disorder, has been recently recognized as an adult disorder as well. If you feel you show signs of separation anxiety talk with your doctor or seek counseling.

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Basic Questions

As part of your routine physical exam, a doctor will ask about your lifestyle, relationships, mood, and professional life. It is important that you answer these questions honestly so that your primary care physician can identify whether you are at risk for mood disorders. The doctor will also ask you questions about your drinking, smoking, and drug habits. Again, you need to answer these questions honestly since drug and alcohol abuse can be both a cause and symptom of bipolar disorder.

Detailed Questions

If you seem to be at risk for bipolar disorder or any sort of mood condition, the doctor will ask additional questions for a more accurate diagnosis. The doctor may need details about your family’s health history, especially if mood disorders run in your family.

Be ready to answer these questions ahead of time. Try to keep a log of your mood swings and how long they last. Keep track of how you act and how you feel, and talk to your friends and family about whether they’ve noticed anything out of character, strange, or unusual. Make sure that you have information about any medications that you are taking, especially birth control pills and antidepressants.

Lab Tests

After asking you a series of questions, the doctor will conduct a blood and urine test to rule out physical explanations for your mood swings. A doctor will typically conduct a blood test to check for thyroid problems and a urine test to monitor drug levels in your system.

The doctor might also test for chronic conditions and sexually transmitted conditions such as syphilis and HIV. An EEG measures brain and nerve function and might be required to exclude epilepsy.

Scans

Some brain injuries and tumors produce symptoms that are similar to bipolar disorder. If there is a medical reason to suspect such a problem, the doctor might order a CT scan or MRI. A specialist will start to treat these types of conditions as soon as possible, and your symptoms will likely stop.

Similar Conditions

A variety of conditions produce symptoms that are similar to bipolar disorder. These include depression, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, and emotional dysregulation. The doctor might ask you whether you have experienced any traumatic or destabilizing events. Bipolar disorder is a challenging condition to diagnose, especially since a variety of conditions can cause problems related to mood, energy, and concentration.

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How to Prevent Against This

Bipolar disorder is not a condition that you can necessarily prevent. You cannot control your genetics, and you cannot control many negative situations that occur in your life. The best preventative measure is to stay informed and catch symptoms early before they become worse. Know whether mood disorders run in your family, and listen to your friends and family if they point out any irrational changes in your behavior.

Be honest with your doctor, and stay on top of your annual physical exams. Usually, your doctor will ask you a series of questions about your social relationships and your life. Your answers will help identify any problems before they can become worse.

Catching the condition early is important because you will understand why you are behaving a particular way. If left unmonitored, bipolar disorder can cause serious harm to your personal and professional life. Many bipolar patients are at high risk for suicide and violent behavior.

It is important for people to get enough sleep. Melatonin levels and sleeping patterns are related to mood swings and fluctuating depressive episodes. Monitor your sleeping patterns to ensure that you are sleeping enough every day.

Diet Tips

There is no such thing as a “bipolar diet.” In any case, it is important to maintain a pattern of healthy eating, since certain foods can exacerbate anxiety, poor health, and depression. Avoid red meats, saturated fats, trans fats, and simple carbohydrates. Make sure that you are getting enough nutrition and exercise so that you maintain balance in your life.

Treatment & Relief Methods

Bipolar disorder treatments vary according to the symptoms and the condition’s severity. Lithium is a mood stabilizer used to treat the manic phase. Doctors will also prescribe antidepressants to treat symptoms of depression.

A person who experiences delusions may need to be hospitalized. While hospitalized, a patient might receive a course of anti-anxiety drugs. The doctor will discharge the patient to return home once the symptoms are under control.

Electroconvulsive therapy is a treatment method that induces small seizures through electrical currents. Patients are typically under general anesthesia for this procedure.

Many patients experience success through support networks and groups. By interacting with peers and discussing common problems, patients, friends, and family are able to cope with the consequences of bipolar disorder. Your doctor should be able to help you find the right support group.

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Symptoms

The symptoms of bipolar disorder vary in severity from person to person. Bipolar patients are said to be manic when they experience the following traits: hyperactivity, excessive energy, loss of self control, impulsive behavior, falsely high self-esteem, sleeplessness, bad temper, and dangerous behavior such as overeating, drinking, doing drugs, acting without judgment, spending excessive amounts of money, and being promiscuous. Manic individuals with bipolar disorder have trouble concentrating and focusing on tasks.

Bipolar patients may also feel symptoms that are less intense and more depressive. These symptoms include problems concentrating, diminished memory, lapses of judgment, appetite loss, weight loss, increased appetite, weight gain, exhaustion, lethargy, feelings of hopelessness, excessive and irrational guilt, sadness, suicidal thoughts, insomnia, and social withdrawal.

Bipolar disorder is equally common among men and women across a variety of ethnic and racial groups. In many situations, bipolar disorder is difficult to diagnose since the symptoms resemble depression. For the most part, people experience symptoms differently. A person might experience symptoms of mania more strongly than feelings of depression, and another person might experience symptoms of depression more strongly than symptoms of mania.

People who are bipolar might not recognize whether they are experiencing symptoms. In many situations, friends and family members are the first to recognize behavioral abnormalities and symptoms.

Warning Signs

Patients with bipolar disorder are high suicide risks. If you start to experience suicidal thoughts, you should contact a suicide hotline, call 911, or contact your doctor immediately.

Many bipolar patients abuse drugs and alcohol. When you are bipolar, especially if you are taking medications, you should not use these substances. Alcohol and drugs may interfere with prescription medications and antidepressants.

Many bipolar patients cause harm to themselves and others. As the condition worsens, a patient might have trouble functioning in society. Many patients with bipolar disorder behave out of character by committing crimes and lashing out against loved ones. A person might behave violently or irrationally, causing irreparable damage to certain social relationships.

You should seek help if you notice substantial negativity in your quality of life. You should not have to suffer, especially when there are treatments available to help you. When you allow the condition to persist and become worse, you risk the possibility of causing permanent damage to your life.

Many times, friends and family members are the first to recognize symptoms. If you suspect that your friend or family member is bipolar, you should contact a doctor as soon as possible for tips and suggestions. Do not aggravate the person, and avoid triggering a manic episode.

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What Are the Causes?

Bipolar disorder results from a chemical imbalance in the brain as a result of multiple causes that vary between individuals. Studies conclusively show that genetics and environmental factors both play a part in causing symptoms.

Certain genes are linked to bipolar disorder. Most research has not been conclusive, but findings have found potential causes in the genes related to serotonin, dopamine, glutamate, and cell growth. No studies report findings with 100 percent confidence.

Many childhood behaviors and habits have been linked to people who develop bipolar disorder as adults or adolescence. There is a strong correlation between depression, mood abnormalities, ADHD, and stimulant use.

Certain environmental components can lead to bipolar disorder. Traumatic events and social relationships are factors that can affect whether a person will be diagnosed as bipolar. Many children who experience abuse and posttraumatic stress disorder have a chance of developing bipolar disorder later on.

Some studies have shown that sensitivity to melatonin is an indicator of bipolar disorder. In the sample groups, individuals with bipolar disorder demonstrated sensitivity to light, causing an extreme drop in melatonin. In corresponding studies, the recovered bipolar patients showed no sensitivity to light.

Certain psychological functions have a role in triggering bipolar disorder. Extreme stress can cause people to experience extreme fluctuations in mood. A person might start to feel critical, depressed, and impulsive. Slowly, a person will bipolar disorder may start to lose self control and behave irrationally.

Who’s at Risk?

Bipolar disorder affects men and women of all ages. Most bipolar patients are diagnosed by the time they are adolescents; however, a person of any age can develop symptoms for the first time. Children can also show signs of bipolar disorder.

It is believed that heredity plays a role in bipolar disorder since people with a family history of the condition are likely to have the condition, themselves.

People develop symptoms for a variety of reasons that are both genetic and environmental. It is difficult to tell who will develop bipolar disorder and who will not.

If you notice that you experience extreme mood swings, you may be bipolar. Do not take your symptoms lightly, especially if you notice ups and downs over an extended period of time.

There are many stereotypes about people who are bipolar, and as a result, people might be afraid to talk about their symptoms. Understand that a large group of people are equally at risk. You should not feel ashamed, especially when there are effective treatments available.