- Published: November 15, 2021
- Updated: April 23, 2022
- University / College: North Carolina State University
- Language: English
- Downloads: 33
Attachment Disorder
Attachment Disorder
Introduction
Attachment is the affection between the people bound by the relationships. Attachment is strong if it get develops at the time when the child is at infant age. Similarly, if the attachment is not formed or broken when a child is an infant then the child may become a victim of reactive attachment disorder. A person who suffers from the reactive attachment disorder is unable to develop the attachment relationship with any other human being. Consequently, the person remains solitude. Therefore, this disorder should be diagnosed and treated before it prevails in the nature of the person. An individual suffering from the reactive attachment disorder cannot develop long lasting relationships. Moreover, the victim is not able to trust any other person. The lack of affection and trust on other people makes the victim solitary (Hornor, 2008).
Reactive attachment disorder is a mental health problem which arises mostly in infancy, but may be found in childhood or in adults. This disorder was first diagnosed 20 years ago which made the researchers ponder over this order and collect the necessary information regarding the disorder. The following research is designed because the reactive attachment disorder children grow up to become the criminals as they are psychologically affected (Pritchett et al., 2013). The people who suffer from this disorder are responsible for the various social crimes. Therefore, the problem should be eliminated in the beginning to prevent the after effects.
The significance of this study is to prevent the development of reactive attachment disorder among children. This disorder can cause a negative impact on one’s personality and nature. The children become isolated, abandoned, scared, unattended, and powerless which consequently, results in the development of this disorder. Therefore, it is important to acknowledge the symptoms, causes and treatments of the disorder in order to prevent the children being grown along with the disorder of reactive attachment. Eventually, an individual would be saved from the disorder and alleviation in social crimes can be obtained.
The aims and objectives of this research include the examination and study of the symptoms, causes, and treatment of the reactive attachment disorder. This objective can help in the diagnosis of the disorder prevailing in the child and adapt steps to treat this disorder. Moreover, the awareness regarding the disorder can help to take certain preventive measures to prevent the development of the disorder.
Discussion
Reactive attachment disorder affects the young children. Therefore, the parents can notice the prevalence of this order since their child grows one year older. The main symptoms as collected from the parents of affected children are failure to put on weight, defiant behavior, unresponsive behavior, hesitation in social gatherings and social interactions, uncomfortable around the people, severe feeding difficulties, and inappropriate relation with the strangers which can be either no relation at all or too close relation with the stranger (Pritchett et al., 2013).
The reactive attachment disorder is caused by various issues. The unavailability of a parent or a caregiver around the child when the child needs the care makes the child unresponsive and undergoes the reactive attachment disorder. Some of the main causes include: an unresponsive attitude of the parent or guardian when the baby cries, lack of attention given to the child when he is wet or hungry and the child is left for hours attended (Lehman & Jegtvig, 2004) Moreover, if no one’s talks, or plays, or even smile with the child, the child may become the victim of relative attachment disorder. The young child if abused then the reactive attachment disorder is most likely to be caused. The children desires are fulfilled yet sometimes they are not fulfilled. Therefore, child becomes confused. Furthermore, if an infant or child at very young age is separated or given permanently to some other person can affect the mind and emotions of the child. Eventually, the child becomes a victim of the disorder. In addition to this, the child becomes a patient of reactive attachment disorder when he does not acquire the assistance of parents as the parents are severely ill or depressed.
The main symptoms which are alarming symptoms for the upgrading of disorder are as follows: the child who suffered from reactive attachment disorder never conducts an eye contact with the people. The affected children do not smile, cries a lot, do not follow the other person with his own eyes. Moreover, these children have less interest in playing the interactive games because they do not want to get socialized. Keeping these early symptoms in mind, the diagnosis can be quick, and the children can be diagnosed with the developmental of the disorder. Later, a quick diagnosis can result in the evaluation of the disorder a treatment. Consequently, the time is saved, and the child can be saved to a certain extent otherwise they would have to deny it.
Treatment of this disorder is essential to be carried out during the childhood to prevent the prevalence of the disorder. Ultimately, the untreated disorder would affect the personal nature of the victim child and correspondingly, affects the society. The treatment comprises of two parts. The first part or the objective is to provide a safe environment to the children which offer the emotional and psychological satisfaction to the child. The next aim is to develop the binding between the parent/caregiver and the child strong enough. The parent/caregiver can be subjected to classes regarding parenting. In this way, they would be able to understand better about the issues, desires, emotions, and needs of the child. Counseling with the child is the one of the best treatment offered by the caregiver to the child. At the beginning of the treatment, the parent/caregiver might feel the rejection from the child as a child has become afraid of people and does not demand physical and emotional affection. Consequently, this rejection should be overlooked, and the treatment should be continued. The evaluation of mental health and status should be conducted which would enable the understanding related to the child mental health. Subsequently, the plan for the treatment can be devised efficiently (ADAM, 2014).
Conclusion
Reactive attachment disorder is an important factor of the personality of an individual which causes serious consequences if untreated. The disorder is required to be diagnosed and treated in the childhood. Hence, to prevent the severe outcomes. In order to diagnose the child for the developmental of reactive attachment disorder, the parents or caregivers should be cautious regarding the behavior of the child and consult a specialist when found any symptom related to the disorder.
References
ADAM, (2004). Reactive Attachment Disorder of Infancy or Early Childhood. US National Library of Medicine. Retrieved from http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002514/ on 18th December 2014.
Hornor, G. (2008). Reactive attachment disorder. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 22(4), 234-239. Retrieved from http://www. sciencedirect. com/science/article/pii/S0891524507002696 on 18th December 2014.
Lehman, J. J., & Jegtvig, S. K. (2004). Reactive attachment disorder: A preventable mental health disease. Journal of chiropractic medicine, 3(2), 69-75. Retrieved from http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC2647002/ on 18th December 2014.
Pritchett, R., Pritchett, J., Marshall, E., Davidson, C., & Minnis, H. (2013). Reactive attachment disorder in the general population: a hidden ESSENCE disorder. The Scientific World Journal, 2013. Retrieved from http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC3654285/ on 18th December 2014.