Causes of Reactive Attachment Disorder

The cause of Reactive Attachment Disorder is unknown. However, most children with this disorder have had severe problems or disruptions in their early relationships. These include physical or emotional abuse or neglect, inadequate care in an institutional setting or other out-of-home placement (e.g. a hospital, residential program, foster care or orphanage), and multiple or traumatic losses or changes in primary caregivers.

To some extent, RAD may be a reflection of modern society, which, for so many people, is terribly unstable and stressful. This is particularly true of public education, especially in larger urban school districts, where even many adults have difficulty coping with emotional abuses and a seemingly endless parade of new faces. See our special report on Public Education vs Mental Health.

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