Treatment of Separation Anxiety Disorder

A certain amount of anxiety is a perfectly normal coping mechanism. However, sometimes it can be excessive and irrational in regard to everyday events. Separation anxiety, an inappropriate anxiety concerning separation from home or people, has a number of treatment options.

The Facts

• Separation anxiety is a normal event with infants and young children. Normal separation anxiety subsides by the age of 3.

Considerations

• The earlier you implement separation anxiety disorder treatment, the better the chance for success.

Identification

• Most treatments for separation anxiety disorder involve some form of psychotherapy. As a last resort, medication can be implemented in severe cases.

Primary Treatments

• The primary psychotherapy treatments are referred to as cognitive-behavioral or behavioral modification therapy. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is focused on teaching children how to recognize their anxious feelings and their reactions to them. Behavior modification is achieved through positive reinforcement rather than punishment.

Medications

• There are no medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration specifically for separation anxiety, but serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are effective. SSRIs such as Prozac, Luvox, Paxil and Zoloft have fewer side effects than tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs). (Resource 2)