Attachment disorder

Attachment disorder is a broad term intended to describe disorders of mood, behavior, and social relationships arising from a failure to form normal attachments to primary care giving figures in early childhood. Such a failure would result from unusual early experiences of neglect, abuse, abrupt separation from caregivers between 6 months and three years of age, frequent change or excessive numbers of caregivers, or lack of caregiver responsiveness to child communicative efforts. Not all children who have these experiences have an attachment disorder.

Pronunciation

Attachment disorder: /əˈtæʧmənt dɪsˈɔːdər/

Etymology

The term "attachment disorder" is derived from "attachment theory," which was developed by British psychiatrist and psychoanalyst John Bowlby in the mid-20th century. "Attachment" refers to the emotional bond that develops between a child and a primary caregiver, while "disorder" refers to a disruption or abnormality.

Related Terms

• Reactive attachment disorder: A condition found in children who may have received grossly negligent care and do not form a healthy emotional attachment with their primary caregivers -- usually their mothers -- before age 5.
• Disinhibited social engagement disorder: A child with this disorder displays culturally inappropriate, overly familiar behavior with relative strangers.
• Separation anxiety disorder: A condition in which a child becomes excessively anxious when separated from parents or caregivers.
• Attachment theory: A psychological model attempting to describe the dynamics of long-term and short-term interpersonal relationships between humans.
• Attachment in adults: The way in which the attachment theory applies to adult relationships.

See Also

• Child development
• Child psychology
• Developmental psychology
• Mental health

External links

• Medical encyclopedia article on Attachment disorder
• Wikipedia's article - Attachment disorder

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