Background (including symptoms, behaviors, & causes)
True or False? SAD is one of the most common childhood anxiety disorders.
True (Usually, kids or children under the age of 18 it is common in, but can be found in adults as well)
Under what disorder class in the DSM-5 TR is SAD put in?
A type of anxiety disorder
What is the first preferred treatment used to treat SAD?
CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)
Was I (Jayden) ever officially diagnosed with a separation anxiety disorder when I was in pre-school?
No, not officially.
Average onset of SAD in children is between ages _____ & _____.
Six, Seven
What is the 7th criterion of SAD in the DSM-5 TR?
Repeated nightmares involving the theme of separation
The ______ (Assessment tool) is specifically used to diagnose SAD. It is a self-report questionnaire designed to focus on avoidance behaviors. The severity of avoidant behaviors is rated on a scale of zero to four.
SAAI (Separation Anxiety Avoidance Inventory)
Is separation anxiety D|O more common in children or adults? How about boys vs. girls?
More common in children & girls
What environmental factors are well known to cause SAD?
Significant life changes or stressful situations such as moving, going to a new school, divorce of parents, etc.
What does part B of the DSM-5 TR say
Symptoms (Anxiety, fear, etc.) have to be persistent and last at least four weeks for children/adolescents & six months or more for adults.
How many assessment tools are used to support diagnosing SAD? And name (By abbreviations) two of them.
There are several, but the six I went over were SCARED, SAAI, CSAS, YAM, ADIS, PARS
How many symptoms does an individual have to show/has to be evident for their separation anxiety to be diagnosed as an official disorder?
Three symptoms (Out of the eight)
What physical symptoms are seen within SAD (Name three)?
Headaches, shortness of breath, tachycardia (increased heartbeat), asthma, dizziness, nausea, uneasy feeling in the stomach, chest pain, & vomiting.
Name any four out of the eight criteria/symptoms found in the DSM-5 TR.
1. Recurrent excessive distress with actual or anticipated separation from home or attachment figure(s)
2. Persistent worry about losing the attachment figure(s) or possible harm to them (Death, illness, injury, etc.)
3. Persistent worry that a potential event will happen to the patient and lead to some sort of separation
4. Refusal to go out because of fear of separation (School, work, etc.)
5. Refusal to be alone (At home, in general, etc.)
6. Refusal to sleep without attachment figure(s) nearby
7. Repeated nightmares about separation
8. Repeated physical symptoms (Headaches, vomiting, etc.) when separation is anticipated or happens
What medication is used to treat SAD? Specifically, the names of the drugs used for children? And what is the specific medication that is used only for adults and cannot be prescribed to children?
SSRIs (Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)
Children: Fluoxetine, sertraline, & paroxetine
Only for adults: Benzodiazepines
In adults, SAD and some other type of disorder typically comorbid. What disorder was it (Be specific)?
Personality disorder, specifically cluster C (Avoidant, dependent, & obsessive-compulsive)
(Name all six) Typical behaviors seen in SAD are ____.
Lots of fear, bedwetting, irritability, nightmares, worriedness, & poor brain functioning (in concentration, in social interactions).
Why are benzodiazepines not recommended for children?
The success of them was proven to be not very effective and did not have much positive treatment effect on children with anxiety disorders, unlike SSRIs and SNRIs that improved anxiety symptoms and are much safer for children.