Bereavement anxiety is a type of fear that some people experience when faced with the idea of losing someone they care about. Everyone faces death or the end of relationships in their lives. Loss is a natural part of life. However, people with abandonment problems live in fear of these losses. They may also exhibit behaviors that prompt people to leave so that they are never surprised by the loss. Abandonment anxiety is not itself a recognized disorder or mental illness. Instead, it is considered a type of anxiety and treated as such. The initial behavior of separation anxiety is often not purposeful. Over time, the reaction this behavior receives - plus the attention that comes with it - can reinforce itself. This can lead a person to repeat the behavior to get the reaction again. This behavior can have unhealthy consequences. Over time, it can ruin relationships. It can also prevent the development of healthy bonds. The key to treating abandonment problems is to find psychological treatment or therapy.
People with separation anxiety exhibit many of the same behaviors, although some are more prominent than others. These symptoms include:
- Going through relationships. Some may engage in numerous superficial relationships. They may fear intimacy and find a reason to end a relationship before the other person can.
- Sabotaging relationships. Some may act irrationally to get out of relationships. For example, you may deliberately push a partner away so you don't feel hurt when they leave.
- Clinging to unhealthy relationships. Some people with abandonment problems may stay in a relationship despite the desire to leave. The fear of being alone is stronger.
- Need constant reassurance. Some may constantly seek out a friend or partner and demand emotional assurances. They may frequently urge friends or partners to make general statements, such as "I will always be there," and then say they are lying.
Children with a healthy emotional bond with their parents often become upset when they are left alone, even for a short time. Some level of this reaction is natural. However, it may be a sign of an underlying mental illness if it leads to:
- Separation anxiety. If a child becomes afraid that his parents are going somewhere beforehand, the child may express separation anxiety.
- Panic. If a child panics when they do not see their parents, their overreaction may be a sign of a problem.
- A fear of being alone. Some children do not sleep without their parents or even let them out of the room.
Healthy human development requires knowing that physical and emotional needs are met. During childhood, this reassurance comes from parents. During adulthood, it can come from personal and romantic relationships.
Events can interrupt this insurance at any age. When this happens, separation anxiety can occur. These events may include:
- Death. Death is natural, but that doesn't make it any less traumatic. Losing a loved one unexpectedly can create an emotional void that can be filled by fear.
- Abuse. Physical and sexual abuse, along with other forms of abuse, can cause persistent mental health problems, including a fear of abandonment.
- Poverty. Failure to meet basic needs can lead to a scarcity mindset. This can lead to the fear that emotional resources, such as love, attention and friendship, are also limited.
- Relationship loss. Divorce, death, infidelity - they all happen. For some people, the end of a relationship can be too painful. It can lead to persistent anxiety.
Treatment BeterKlinic
BeterKliniek is the clinic for Integrative Medicine that bridges regular and non-regular medicine.
An van Veen (physician) and Michael van Gils (therapist) look for the cause of a condition or disease. That is where the treatment starts otherwise, as people often say, it is 'carrying water to the sea'. We call this cause medicine. Sometimes it is also desirable to treat the symptoms (at the same time). We call this symptom medicine.
Chronic disorders often have their cause in epi- genetics. You can schedule a free informative telephone consultation (phone number 040-7117337 until 1 p.m.) at BeterKliniek to discuss your symptoms so that we can provide you with further advice.
