What Is Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder?

One of the most frightening anxiety disorders in the world is adult separation anxiety disorder, even though it may only affect a few people each year. Adult separation anxiety disorder can occur when a person feels anxiety when they are separated from people or places that are familiar. This disorder can happen to any person and can become chronic separation anxiety that occurs for a long period of time without any relief. Although it is considered to be rare, there is the possibility that you or someone that you know could be affected by adult separation anxiety disorder.

How Does Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder Occur?

Adult separation anxiety disorder is a result of constant or increasing anxiety when separated from things that are familiar for significant amounts of time. The person becomes stressed from the high anxiety that they are experiencing and eventually, the body and the mind will begin to break down. As time passes, the body will be unable to take the stress of the constant anxiety and the person may begin to do things that are unhealthy to reduce the risk of suffering from the anxiety such as having to have someone with them at all times or never leaving areas that are familiar. As time goes on, the person can become a prisoner to their condition.

Different symptoms will begin to appear at each stage leading to adult separation anxiety disorder. As the separation anxiety begins, the person will begin to feel irritable and annoyed when faced with unfamiliar situations to mask the anxiety that they are feeling. After some time has passed, the person will begin to feel fear when placed in unfamiliar places and situations, resulting in a rise in heart rate, a rush of adrenaline, and nauseous feeling. In time, the person will begin to be unable to cope with being away from certain people for extended periods of time or venturing out into unfamiliar situations on their own. Separation anxiety can occur in many different types of people of all ages and is called adult separation anxiety disorder when it occurs to someone over the age of 18.

Who Is At Risk?

There is no way to predict what people will be at risk for adult separation anxiety disorder because any person of any age can develop a case of separation anxiety and the length of time and the severity of the separation anxiety dictates how the person will be affected. Seniors tend to develop cases of separation anxiety more frequently because the condition is often related to disorders that can occur with advanced age, but younger adults who develop separation anxiety are typically affected more and are less able to recover from the stress of the anxiety. Many different separation anxiety treatments are available for use in treating the condition and using these treatments when the person begins to experience their anxiety will dramatically decrease the chance of the person developing a full blown case of adult separation anxiety disorder.