Attachment disorder

Attachment disorders are disorders of mood, behavior and social relationships that arise from the unavailability of normal socializing care and attention from primary caregiving figures in early childhood. They are linked to unusual early experiences such as neglect, abuse, abrupt separation from caregivers between three months and three years of age, frequent change or excessive numbers of caregivers, or lack of caregiver responsiveness to a child's attempts at communication. A troubled history of relationships after about age three may distress a child but does not result in attachment disorder. The article notes there is no consensus on the exact meaning of the term, though there is general agreement that such disorders follow early adverse caregiving. Reactive attachment disorder, as defined in DSM-IV-TR and ICD-10, is the best known form.