Reactive Attachment Disorder is characterized by

Reactive Attachment Disorder is characterized by

• A. Separation Anxiety Disorder
• B. Reactive Attachment Disorder
• C. Selective Mutism
• D. Delirium

Answer: (B)

Reactive Attachment Disorder shows up as a persistent pattern of inhibited, emotionally withdrawn behavior toward adult caregivers, along with a broader social and emotional disturbance. In practical terms, the child rarely seeks comfort when distressed and may not respond to comfort when it is offered, and there is a limited range of positive emotions and difficulty forming healthy attachments. This appears in the context of a history of insufficient caregiving, such as neglect or frequent changes in caregivers. Why this fits the best: the hallmark is the failure to form or maintain healthy attachments due to early caregiving disruption, not just anxiety about separation, speech in social settings, or a transient cognitive state. For comparison, separation anxiety centers on distress about being apart from caregivers; selective mutism involves not speaking in certain social situations despite normal language ability; delirium is an acute, fluctuating state of confusion and attention problems, not a developmental pattern of attachment.

Reactive Attachment Disorder shows up as a persistent pattern of inhibited, emotionally withdrawn behavior toward adult caregivers, along with a broader social and emotional disturbance. In practical terms, the child rarely seeks comfort when distressed and may not respond to comfort when it is offered, and there is a limited range of positive emotions and difficulty forming healthy attachments. This appears in the context of a history of insufficient caregiving, such as neglect or frequent changes in caregivers.

Why this fits the best: the hallmark is the failure to form or maintain healthy attachments due to early caregiving disruption, not just anxiety about separation, speech in social settings, or a transient cognitive state. For comparison, separation anxiety centers on distress about being apart from caregivers; selective mutism involves not speaking in certain social situations despite normal language ability; delirium is an acute, fluctuating state of confusion and attention problems, not a developmental pattern of attachment.