Attachment Disorder (RAD): What is Attachment Disorder?

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Attachment Disorder (RAD): What is Attachment Disorder?

Attachment Disorder (RAD): What is Attachment Disorder?

December 29, 2011 at 14:25

Attachment Disorder (RAD): What is Attachment Disorder?

The bonding process between a parent/caregiver and child occurs in the first few years of a child’s life. This is where all the needs of the child are supposed to be met and where they learn that the world is a safe place. This is necessary for the child to develop healthy emotional connections and to feel empowered in his world.

Do I or my child have Attachment Disorder?

Some of the causes for Attachment Disorder are abuse, neglect, multiple changes in caregivers, foster care, adoption, abandonment, exposure to drugs/alcohol in utero or painful illness. The disorder varies in severity from Attachment issues to Attachment Disorder, but the person or child usually shows an inability to be genuinely affectionate or compassionate toward others. They do not trust and fail to develop a conscience.

Click here for Attachment Disorder: Case Study

Attachment Disorder and Common Symptoms:

Children:

Do not trust caregivers or adults in authority
Lack self-control – are impulsive
Have extreme control problems, manifested in covertly manipulative or overtly hostile ways
Do not develop a moral foundation: no empathy, no remorse, no conscience, and/or no compassion for others
Are destructive, cruel, argumentative and/or hostile
Lack the ability to give and receive genuine affection or love
Resist all efforts to nurture or guide them
Are superficially charming and engaging
Lack cause and effect thinking
Act out negatively, provoking anger in others
Lie, steal, cheat, and/or manipulate

Adults:

Difficulty handling conflict with other adults. Tendency to deny responsibility for wrong-doing
Extreme control problems, manifested in covertly manipulative or overtly hostile ways
Feelings of frustration and stress
Difficulty showing empathy, remorse, trust, and compassion with others
Lack of the ability to give and receive genuine affection or love – often relating sexual behavior to feelings of acceptance or closeness
Resistant to efforts to nurture or guide them
Destructive, cruel, argumentative and/or hostile
Lacking cause and effect thinking, especially when around normal thinking
Acting out negatively, provoking anger in others
Feeling helpless, hopeless, and angry
Lying, stealing, cheating, and/or manipulating
Destructive, cruel, argumentative and/or hostile
Lacking self-control – impulsive
Superficially charming and engaging
Feelings of sadness and fear that are usually protected by angry behavior shown either overtly or covertly
Feelings of isolation and depression
Addictive behavior i.e. substance abuse, sex addiction, work addiction, gambling addiction, etc.
Hyper-vigilant behavior, agitation and difficulty concentrating
Confused, puzzled and obsessed with finding answers
Feeling blamed by family, friends, and professionals

Attachment Disorder and Brain Function:

Attachment at a young age is imperative for optimal brain development and emotional health. The effects of both healthy and unhealthy attachment are felt emotionally, physiologically, cognitively, and socially. In many cases other problems such as depression, anxiety, bevavioral disorder, and AD/HD are present. Regulating the brain wave patterns and impacting the emotional center of the brain is effective in reducing or eliminating symptoms of Attachment Disorder. With the qEEG or Brain Map as an assessment tool, we can see the electrical activity of the brain. We can then determine where and how the dysregulation occurs allowing us to develop treatment protocols to put the brain back into balance without medication

Attachment Disorder and Treatment Options:

There are a variety of treatment options for this disorder. They include medication, nutritional, counseling, and neurofeedback interventions.

Call us today to begin the path toward increased health and healing! We are waiting for your call!