What is separation anxiety disorder?

Also known as: separation anxiety, phobia.

Separation anxiety is normal in the very young child (particularly between 8 and 14 months of age). When this fear, anxiousness or distress when not being with a parent or caregiver occurs in children over the age of 6 years, and lasts longer than 4 weeks, the child may suffer from separation anxiety disorder. It affects approximately 4% of children ages 7-11 years of age.

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Reviewed by: Jack Wolfsdorf, MD, FAAP

This page was last updated on: 1/29/2019 3:21:13 PM