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Attachment is, as one author noted, “a deep and enriching connection between a child and caregiver in the first few years of life.” However, when the connection is missing, children often suffer from attachment disorder and the disorder often carries over into adulthood if unaddressed.
Children start dealing with attachment disorder during their most impressionable years. The develop feelings of detachment and are unable to trust others. These symptoms manifest as they grow to adulthood. As adults, these symptoms can be severe psychological disorder if not treated. Unresolved attachment issues from childhood make it difficult for adults to form secure and appropriate adult relationships. An adult suffering from attachment disorder bases his or her expectations of new relationships on their experiences in past relationships. There is also a significant correlation between between adults suffering from attachment disorder and marital problems.
While adults suffering from attachment disorder want love and affection, they are unable to express these feelings appropriately. These adults feel sadness for their inability to form lasting relationships and at the same time, are fearful of relationships because they do not trust others. Often, they can not even understand love and attachment, much less express these feelings.
Attachment disorder is transgenerational. If the behaviors that initiated or perpetuated the disorder continue, it passes from one generation to the next. The cycle must be broken in order to treat patients. Therapy in treating adult attachment disorder takes a long time, work and patience to bring the patient to the root issues and deal with them. The work is worth the reward because developing close relationships are normal, healthy and necessary for a happy life.
