attachment disorder

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

a psychiatric condition arising from severely disrupted early attachment relationships — typically through neglect, abuse, frequent changes of caregiver, or institutional care — in which a child fails to develop the secure attachment bond with a primary caregiver that normally provides the foundation for emotional regulation, social trust, and exploratory behaviour; the DSM-5 recognises two attachment disorder presentations: reactive attachment disorder, characterised by social withdrawal and inhibited emotional responses, and disinhibited social engagement disorder, characterised by indiscriminate affection-seeking with unfamiliar adults; attachment disorders must be distinguished from autism spectrum disorder and PTSD with which they share some features; they are treated through therapeutic parenting approaches that provide consistent, sensitive caregiving to repair disrupted internal working models of relationships