Attachment Disorder
Attachment Disorder
Attachment Disorder
Attachment disorder is a general term for conditions that cause people to have a hard time connecting
and forming meaningful relationships with others.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders recognizes two main attachment disorders.
Both are generally only diagnosed in children between the ages of 9 months and 5 years.
Reactive attachment disorder (RAD). RAD involves patterns of emotional withdrawal from caregivers.
Children with RAD usually don't seek or respond to comfort, even when they're upset.
Disinhibited social engagement disorder (DSED). DSED involves being overly friendly with unknown
adults. Children with DSED might wander off often, approach strangers with no hesitation, and hug or
touch unknown adults easily.
There's no formal diagnosis for attachment disorder in adults. But you can certainly experience
attachment issues in adulthood. For some, these may be lingering symptoms of RAD or DSED that went
undiagnosed in their childhood.
Read on to learn more about the concept of attachment, including the theory behind it, and how
different attachment styles work.
Attachment theory involves the way you form intimate and emotional bonds with others. Psychologist
John Bowlby developed the theory while studying why babies became so upset when separated from a
parent.
Babies need a parent or other caregiver to take care of their basic needs. Bowlby found they used what
he called attachment behaviors, such as crying, searching, and holding on to their parent, to prevent
separation or to find a lost parent.
Bowlby’s study of attachment in children laid the foundation for later research on attachment in adults.
As you age, you develop your own attachment style, based largely on the attachment behaviors you
learned as a child. This attachment style can have a big impact on how you form relationships as an
adult.
Research also suggests that your attachment style can affect your overall happinessTrusted Source and
day-to-day lifeTrusted Source.
Your attachment style involves your behaviors and interactions with others and how you form
relationships with them. Attachment theory holds that these styles are largely determined during early
childhood.
If your needs as a child were usually met right away by your caregiver, you probably developed a secure
attachment style. As an adult, you most likely feel secure in your close relationships and trust that the
other person will be there when you need them.
If your caregiver failed to meet your needs as a child — or was slow to do so — you may have an
insecure attachment style. As an adult, you might find it hard to form intimate bonds with others. You
may also have a hard time trusting those close to you.
Anxious-preoccupied attachment
require frequent reassurance from those close to you that they care about you
If you’re need for reassurance isn’t met, you might start doubting how your loved ones feel about you. If
you’re in a romantic relationship, you might frequently believe that your partner is upset with you and
wants to leave.
These fears can make you more sensitive to the behaviors of those close to you. You might interpret
some of their actions as proof that what you’ve worried about (them leaving) is actually happening.
Dismissive-avoidant attachment
worry that forming close bonds with others will make you less independent
These behaviors can make it hard for others to support you or feel close to you. Moreover, if someone
does put in extra effort to draw you out of your shell, you may react by closing yourself off.
Keep in mind that these behaviors don’t stem from not caring about others. Instead, it’s more about
protecting yourself and maintaining a sense of self-sufficiency.
Fearful-avoidant attachment
want to develop romantic relationships but worry that your partner will hurt you, leave you, or both
push aside your feelings and emotions to try to avoid experiencing them
fear you aren’t good enough for the kind of relationship you’d like to have
While you might be able to suppress your emotions for a period of time, they tend to come out in
bursts. This can feel overwhelming and create a pattern of highs and lows in your relationships with
others.
While you might not have much of a say over the attachment behaviors you develop as a child, there are
steps you can take to develop a more secure attachment style as an adult.
Learning more about why you feel and think the way you do is key to overcoming insecure attachment
styles. Start by seeking out a therapist you feel comfortable talking with.
develop new ways of connecting with others and creating intimate relationships
How is it treated?
There are several treatment options for CPTSD that can both reduce your
symptoms and help you better manage them.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy involves talking with a therapist either alone or in a group. It
also includes the use of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This type of
treatment helps you identify negative thought patterns and gives you tools to
replace them with more healthy, positive thoughts.
While there’s some debate within the medical community over its use, the
American Psychological Association conditionally recommends it for PTSD.
This means that they recommend it but additional information is still needed
due to insufficient evidence.
Medication
Medications traditionally used to treat depression can also help with
symptoms of CPTSD. They tend to work best when combined with another
form of treatment, such as CBT. Common antidepressants used for CPTSD
may include:
sertraline (Zoloft)
paroxetine (Paxil)
fluoxetine (Prozac)
While some people benefit from using these medications long term, you may
only need to take them for a short period of time while you learn new coping
strategies.
Bagaimana pengobatannya?
Ada beberapa pilihan pengobatan untuk CPTSD yang
dapat mengurangi gejala dan membantu Anda
mengelolanya dengan lebih baik.
Psikoterapi
Psikoterapi melibatkan berbicara dengan terapis baik
sendiri atau dalam kelompok. Ini juga termasuk
penggunaan terapi perilaku kognitif (CBT). Jenis
perawatan ini membantu Anda mengidentifikasi pola
pikir negatif dan memberi Anda alat untuk
menggantikannya dengan pikiran positif yang lebih
sehat.
Pengobatan
Obat-obatan yang secara tradisional digunakan untuk
mengobati depresi juga dapat membantu gejala
CPTSD. Mereka cenderung bekerja paling baik bila
dikombinasikan dengan bentuk perawatan lain, seperti
CBT. Antidepresan umum yang digunakan untuk
CPTSD mungkin termasuk:
sertraline (Zoloft)
paroxetine (Paxil)
fluoxetine (Prozac)
Sementara beberapa orang mendapat manfaat dari
penggunaan obat-obatan ini dalam jangka panjang,
Anda mungkin hanya perlu meminumnya untuk waktu
yang singkat sambil mempelajari strategi koping yang
baru.
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you use them.
Information You Must Know as an Adoptive Parent – A Therapist’s Guide to Attachment Disorders
I am a Christian mental health therapist. Over the years I have worked with hundreds of adopted
children and children who have been in the foster care system. It is a topic that God has placed near
and dear to my heart!
It takes a special person and family to take in children and offer love and protection. I truly believe this is
a calling from God for some individuals.
What I also have come to experience is there is not nearly enough information and training to help
equip adoptive parents and foster parents to understand and help care for these children in the ways
that they need.
Many children who are adopted or in the foster care system have attachment issues or a full attachment
disorder. This is not a choice but rather how their brain has become wired to view the world.
WHAT IS ATTACHMENT?
Attachment is the level of comfort and connection an individual has to another person. Everyone’s level
of attachment is on a continuum. Meaning even in a good, loving, positive home, a child may have a
higher level of attachment or connection to one parent over the other. We hear the terms daddy’s little
girl or mommy’s boy and those are describing the slightly higher connection children have to parents.
That is normal.
This is also true outside of the home. Some children have an easier time building attachment or
connection to other children and/or adults. This sometimes is talked about as a person’s openness or
guardedness to others. The concept of “making strange” for infants and toddlers comes to mind. This
happens when babies inherently have a sense of insecurity when not with their mother or father. This
again is normal and babies grow out of it because of secure attachment.
Attachment occurs primarily during the first four years of a person’s life. The brain is still developing in
these areas. The meeting of a baby’s needs (shelter, food, diaper changes, and comfort) allows the
baby’s brain to innately understand the world around him. This allows the baby to experience the world
through the lens of “the world is safe” and “the world will provide”.
An attachment disorder then can occur when a child’s needs were not met in their first four years of life.
Or if there was great instability or inconsistency in the home or the level of care provided. For example
multiple changes in foster placement. Chances of an attachment disorders increase if the infant or child
experienced any abuse of neglect. There is also greater likelihood of attachment issues if the child was
raised in an institution or orphanage where there is a high child to care giver ratios. This hinders a child
from being able to form selective attachments.
If this happens, the baby’s brain comes to inherently understand the world through the lens of “the
world is not safe” and “the world will not provide”. This child’s brain legitimately develops differently
than a child who’s needs were consistently met.
There are two diagnoses for attachment disorders. Reactive attachment disorder and disinhibited social
engagement disorder.
A child with RAD rarely or minimally seeks or responds to comfort when distressed. So they are often
unable to be soothed when upset. The child has limited positive emotions. They often struggle with
social and emotional empathy to others. Children with RAD often have unexplained irritability, sadness,
or fearfulness that are evident even during nonthreatening interactions with adult caregivers.
A child with DSED shows pattern of behavior in which they actively approach and interact with
unfamiliar adults. They often have poor physical boundaries. For example I have worked with young
children who met me for the first time and they will try to hold my hand or sit on my lap. These children
also rarely check to see where their caregiver is when venturing away, even in unfamiliar setting.
Children with DSED also exhibit willingness to go off with an unfamiliar adult with little or no hesitation.
Children who have an attachment disorder view the world through the lens that it is not safe and will
not provide for them. This can be seen in many ways of how the child interacts with the world around
him.
Sneaking food
Lying
I cannot stress this point enough! Your adoptive child is not choosing this behavior! (at least not
completely) They also are not able to just “figure it out” or “change”. Again, we are talking about brain
development. Your child also can’t be “fixed” because they are not broken. The road to healing is a long
one that has many bumps, detours, and road blocks.
The therapy process includes both the child and the adoptive parents. And often in the the beginning it
is only the parents who are able to make changes.
God did not intend for any child to have to endure a life that leads to an attachment disorder. At the
same time, He brought your adoptive child into your home! Think of how much worse life would be if
your child wasn’t in your home. You have been called to show your adoptive child what love and family
are supposed to be like. Unconditionally.
JANGAN MENYERAH!
Tuhan tidak bermaksud agar setiap anak harus
menjalani kehidupan yang mengarah pada gangguan
keterikatan. Pada saat yang sama, Dia membawa anak
angkat Anda ke rumah Anda! Pikirkan betapa jauh
lebih buruknya hidup jika anak Anda tidak ada di
rumah Anda. Anda telah dipanggil untuk menunjukkan
kepada anak angkat Anda seperti apa seharusnya cinta
dan keluarga. Tanpa syarat.
Signs and symptoms often found in teens with reactive attachment disorder
may include:
There are many signs and symptoms of reactive attachment disorder that
could be found in your teen. If your teen exhibits a number of these signs and
symptoms, it is recommended that you seek professional help in order to
assess if your teen may have RAD. If your teen does have reactive
attachment disorder, treatment will be crucial to their future success.
Take charge, yet remain calm when your child is upset or misbehaving.
Remember that “bad” behavior means that your child doesn’t know how to
handle what he or she is feeling and needs your help. By staying calm, you
show your child that the feeling is manageable. If he or she is being
purposefully defiant, follow through with the pre-established consequences in
a cool, matter-of-fact manner. Never discipline a child with an attachment
disorder when you’re in an emotionally-charged state. This makes them
feel more unsafe and may even reinforce the bad behavior.
These individuals lack the ability to trust others wholeheartedly. Therefore, they
might not allow anyone to control them or make them feel vulnerable to hurt.
This disorder is believed to develop in an infant or child, when the primary
caregiver, is not physically or emotionally present to provide the necessary love,
security, nurturing, and safe environment to the child. Abuse of the child during
his/her first 5 years, at the hands of the caregiver is usually the underlying
cause. It could affect a child who:
According to Magid & McKelvey (1988), if a child cannot develop a bond of love
with the mother, the child will find it extremely difficult to develop meaningful
relationships with any person throughout his/her life. An individual who is
affected by RAD is more likely to remain detached.
Symptoms
RAD is an illness of extremes. Sometimes, the affected individual may show
hostility towards others, which in turn might affect his/her ability to form strong,
intimate relationships. At times, the affected individuals may live superficial
lives, never being able to express their true emotions and secluding themselves
from the company of others.
The symptoms of RAD are divided into two categories: avoidant attachment
(inhibited) and ambivalent (dis-inhibited) attachment.
Gejala
RAD adalah penyakit ekstrem. Kadang-kadang,
individu yang terkena mungkin menunjukkan
permusuhan terhadap orang lain, yang pada gilirannya
dapat mempengaruhi kemampuannya untuk
membentuk hubungan yang kuat dan intim. Kadang-
kadang, individu yang terkena mungkin menjalani
kehidupan yang dangkal, tidak pernah bisa
mengekspresikan emosi mereka yang sebenarnya dan
mengasingkan diri dari perusahaan orang lain.
Gejala RAD dibagi menjadi dua kategori: keterikatan
penghindar (inhibited) dan keterikatan ambivalen (dis-
inhibited).