Separation Anxiety Disorder Separation Anxiety Disorder is a
mental health disorder that begins in childhood. It is
characterized by a child’s worrying that is out of proportion to
the situation of temporarily leaving home or separation from
loved ones. Approximately four to five percent of children and
adolescents suffer from separation anxiety disorder. Separation
anxiety first develops when a child is around seven months of
age. This is when the baby begins to understand his or her
caregivers and develops an attachment to them. It is normal for
an infant and toddler to express separation anxiety and the
anxiety is the strongest at 10 to 18 months of age. According
the to the American Academy of Pediatrics, stranger anxiety
begins at eight months and generally ends by three years of age.
However, when this fear occurs in a child over the age of six
and lasts for an extended period of time, the child may have
separation anxiety disorder. Causes of Separation Anxiety
Disorder A child who has separation anxiet