Reactive attachment disorder (RAD) develops in some children who’ve experienced significant abuse, neglect, or instability during their early years. The impact of RAD can be felt years later, negatively affecting relationships during adulthood.

For adults experiencing attachment-related challenges, mental health counseling can be a valuable asset in helping you pull down barriers and develop stronger bonds with others. Learn to recognize the signs of reactive attachment disorder in adults and improve your relational and mental health well-being.

What Is Reactive Attachment Disorder?

RAD is a serious mental health concern that can result when a child doesn’t form a healthy emotional bond with their primary caregiver. This lack of secure attachment can lead to long-term difficulties in areas such as:

• Trust
• Emotional connection
• Social interactions

How RAD Persists into Adulthood

RAD is diagnosed in childhood, but the effects often extend into people’s lives as adults. This can lead to many struggles in maintaining personal relationships, as it can feel difficult to connect with people after experiencing trauma in childhood. This trauma often leads to emotional withdrawal and avoidance of intimacy in an effort to self-protect.

Signs of Reactive Attachment Disorder in Adults

Below are some of the most common signs of RAD in adults:

Emotional Detachment

• Showing or expressing emotions can be difficult. People experiencing RAD may also report feeling numb to things
• Withdrawal from relational intimacy. Relationships can lack depth
• Limited or unemotional responses to events that would seem to warrant more intense feelings

Difficulties Trusting & Fear of Abandonment

• Difficulty trusting even people who have shown themselves to be honest and supportive
• Significant fear surrounding rejection or the anticipation of abandonment
• Rarely relies on anyone for support

Emotional Dysregulation

• Frequently occurring mood swings and difficulty managing stress
• Feeling overwhelmed by emotions but unable to express them

Hyper-Independence & Avoidance of Help

• Finds it very difficult to accept help from others, even when it’s clear that support would be beneficial
• Uncomfortable when others express concern for them or offer care

Anxiety & Depression

• Frequent loneliness and feelings of emptiness.
• Worrisome thoughts
• A tendency to self-isolate

Adults with RAD may feel as if they don’t “belong” anywhere. As a result, they experience significant challenges connecting with people across the board: family, friends, romantic relationships, and the workplace. But with effective treatment, there is hope.

How Therapy Can Help Adults with Reactive Attachment Disorder

Therapy empowers people experiencing RAD by teaching them practical tools and strategies for building relationships and developing the emotional resilience they need to maintain them.

Attachment-Based Therapy

This is a type of therapy that helps people create strong emotional connections with others and increase their ability to trust. It focuses on processing early childhood trauma.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT supports individuals in recognizing their negative thought patterns and helps them to reframe their thinking so that they can learn to trust, express emotions, and develop a greater sense of self-worth.

Trauma-Informed Therapy

Trauma-focused therapy can help people work through unresolved emotional pain from childhood and help people to offer themselves the care and compassion they needed as a child.

Mindfulness Techniques

Engaging in mindfulness practices can help people to better regulate their emotions by staying in the here and now. It also helps individuals to be more aware of their own emotions and self-regulate so they can enhance their connections with others.

Call Us Today and Explore How Columbia Associates Can Support You

If you or someone you love is experiencing the impact of RAD, know that a better life can be had with treatment. Columbia is here to help. Our expert team will supply you with the tools you need to make relationships last and to feel more emotionally connected to your world. We’ll work with you to determine the best course of treatment and walk beside you as you move toward a life you deserve.

Columbia Associates is here to help you manage your mental health. Call 703.682.8208 today to learn more.

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