Emotional Disorders of Childhood
- Separation Anxiety Disorder -- It is normal for toddlers and preschool children to show a degree of anxiety over real or threatened separation from people to whom they are attached. Separation anxiety disorder should be diagnosed only when fear over separation constitutes the focus of the anxiety and when such anxiety arises during the early years. It is differentiated from normal separation anxiety when it is of such severity that is definitely unusual (including an abnormal persistence beyond the usual age period) and when it is associated with significant problems in social functioning.
- Phobic Anxiety Disorder of Childhood -- Like the fear of animals. These fears show a marked developmental phase specificity and arise (in some degree) in a majority of children.
- Social anxiety disorder of childhood -- Children with these disorder show a persistent or recurrent fear and/or avoidance of strangers; such fear may occur mainly with adults, mainly with peers, or with both. The fear is associated with a normal degree selective attachment to parents or to other familiar persons. The avoidance or fear is outside the normal limits for the child's age.
- Sibling rivalry disorder -- A high proportion of young children show some degree of emotional disturbance following the birth of a younger sibling. In most cases the disturbance is mild but in some cases the rivalry and jealousy may be remarkably persistent.
Elective Mutism
- Social Anxiety Disorder of Childhood -- There is a marked, emotionally determined selectivity in speaking such that child speaks in one situation but does not speak in other. Typically, the child speaks at home or with close friends and is mute at school or with strangers. At times it just opposite.
- Attachment Disorders of Childhood -- There are persistent abnormalities in the child's pattern of social relationship, i.e., how he behaves with the parents, siblings, peers, in the school etc. These are all associated with emotional disturbance and are reactive to changes in environmental circumstances. The syndrome nearly always occurs as a direct result of severe parental neglect, abuse, or serious mishandling. They remit to a major degree if the child is placed in a normal rearing environment that provides continuity in responsive care-giving.
