Separation anxiety in adulthood: a phenomenological investigation

Abstract

Separation anxiety disorder is well recognized as a juvenile psychiatric disorder, but it appears to be rarely diagnosed in adulthood. Drawing on our clinical impressions and a review of the relevant literature, we sought to investigate whether separation anxiety symptoms could be identified in adulthood. Forty-four subjects recruited by a media campaign were administered a semistructured interview and a self-report checklist for adult separation anxiety (ASA) symptoms, as well as the Separation Anxiety Symptom Inventory (SASI), a retrospective measure of early separation anxiety symptoms. Diagnoses of major depressive disorder (MDD), panic disorder (PD), agoraphobia (Ag), and dependent personality disorder were made using the SCID-P and SCID-II. Thirty-six subjects met criteria for a putative diagnosis of ASA based on a global clinical rating and/or endorsement of DSM-IV-derived criteria. Although most subjects dated the separation anxiety symptoms to their juvenile years, it was notable that one third reported the first onset of separation anxiety symptoms in adulthood. Although comorbid lifetime anxiety or depressive disorders were common, the majority of subjects reported that the separation anxiety symptoms predated other axis I disorders. Only six subjects (17%) were diagnosed with dependent personality disorder. Although limited by the method of sampling, this preliminary study suggests the need to examine more systematically whether a form of separation anxiety disorder may occur in adulthood.