Attachment Disorder

- Psychological Disorders and Mental Health Conditions

When a child is born it has many needs. The child will need food, warmth, and to generally be taken care of. What many may not be aware is an important need is an attachment to a caretaker. This includes being swaddled, cradled, spoken to, touched, and loved. Our ability to connect to others, gain trust, and feel worthy begins at birth. Babies and children that are neglected from birth or at early stages of development have a high likely hood of developing a mental illness in their lifetime.

Causes

It is believed that the neglect of emotional and physical needs as well as having multiple caretakers is the cause of Reactive Attachment Disorder. The disorder may arise in cases where the child is so ill at birth that sufficient nurturing is not possible, if the parent rejects the child, when there is sexual or physical abuse before age 5, the child is abandoned, or otherwise abused or neglected. If the child is placed for adoption or removed from their home there may be many caretakers in and out of the life of the child which leads to an inability of the child to gain trust and attachment. To make a diagnosis of Reactive Attachment Disorder there has to be evidence of the needs not being met or the lack of a stable caretaker.

Symptoms

Symptoms of Reactive Attachment Disorder are pretty easy to recognize but it shares some symptoms with other disorders. It is important to get the help of a mental health professional that can determine if the child is suffering from this or some other disorder. Signs that your child may have Reactive Attachment Disorder are disturbances in normal developmental behavior in relation to social interactions. What this means is the child will either be averse to meeting people and may show signs of fear of new or even familiar people. Conversely, a child may make friends with everyone they meet with an unsafe amount of trust for everyone including grasping the hand of a stranger and asking to go home with them or removing clothing at school or home at inappropriate times. The child may have intense tantrums, become inconsolably sad, or violent for unwarranted reasons or may act happy during times that should be greatly upsetting. A baby that shows signs of Reactive Attachment Disorder will rarely cry even when hungry, does not smile, won’t reach out when picked up, is not interested in people, toys, or playing, and does not meet normal milestones of development.

clinging child

Treatment

Treatment for Reactive Attachment Disorder is a long term commitment. Due to the changes the brain endures from neglect and lack of nurturing, this will affect the child for the rest of their life which means treatment will be multifaceted. It is likely that other disorders will accompany an attachment disorder. There is no single treatment and often there needs to be a “village” approach in which the family must attend counseling with the child or baby. The client will require patience, nurturing, and education about how to create healthy attachments. Only a counselor trained in treating this disorder should be considered. Due to the sensitive nature of therapy for children it is important to avoid therapy that is described as re-parenting, swaddling, re-birthing, or requires the caretaker to withhold food or force affection. It is important that the caretaker also participate in parenting classes that will help in dealing with the behavior of the child. In some cases the child becomes a danger to themselves or the family and must be placed in residential care for the safety of all involved. Whichever reputable treatment is chosen it is important that the counselor is not changed often as this will exacerbate the condition.