Reactive Attachment Disorder Types - OmniMedicalSearch.com

Conditions & Diseases: Psychological & Mental Health

Reactive Attachment Disorder

Types

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM-IV- TR), there are two types of reactive attachment disorder:

I. Inhibited Type

This type is characterized by a predominant failure to initiate and respond to most social interactions "in a developmentally appropriate way" and "a pattern of excessively inhibited, hypervigilant, or highly ambivalent responses (frozen watchfulness, resistance to comfort, a mixture of approach and avoidance)" (2). Children display an emotionally and socially withdrawn pattern when interacting with others. In condition of distress when young children normally seek comfort in attachment figures and respond properly to the offered comfort, children with reactive attachment disorder, inhibited type display aberrant behaviors. They either do not consistently seek comfort, or are afraid to seek comfort, and when the comfort is offered they fail to respond properly or actively resist the comfort.

These children can exhibit difficulties regulating their emotions. When comfort is offered, some children can also display a lack of "expectable positive affects" and can show anger or aggression, sudden outburst of crying, or irritability.

Reactive attachment disorder - inhibited type has been identified among institutionalized children or those that have a history of maltreatment. However, in children raised in institutions the reactive attachment disorder cease to be a problem once they are placed in foster families.

II. Disinhibited Type

This type is characterized by "a pattern of diffuse attachment" (2). The child shows indiscriminate sociability or lack of selectivity in their choice of attachment figures. These children fail to discriminate attachment figures and may approach unfamiliar adults without reservation seeking or receiving comfort from them. Also, these children protest when are separated from strangers and wander away from parent or caregiver without checking back. These children are very demanding, seeking attention, and can be perceived as shallow. Also, children with reactive attachment disorder, disinhibited type have a higher risk to go off with strangers, because they fail to distinguish between people that want to help or harm.

Reactive attachment disorder, disinhibited type has been identified both in children institutionalized or those that have been maltreated. However, this type is more persistent than the inhibited type even when the child is placed in a well functioning family.

Article by Alina Morrow
MS Psychology
Medical Writer
OmniMedicalSearch.com