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Attachment Disorders Care at The Raleigh House

Our success in creating human connections influences our ability to navigate social situations, achieve professional success, and establish intimate bonds. Unfortunately, many of us struggle with conditions broadly categorized as attachment disorders. These disorders can negatively affect our capacity to form lasting relationships. Moreover, they can also be contributing factors to a variety of unhealthy behaviors. Attachment disorders and substance misuse frequently co-exist.

Although attachment disorders typically form in early childhood, the negative effects can persist well into adulthood. At The Raleigh House, we fully appreciate how issues with emotional wellness can complicate recovery. Our programs integrate science-backed therapeutic interventions that directly address any emotional traumas that contribute to addictive behaviors.

Our team of specialists offers the training, expertise, and compassion necessary to develop and maintain effective long-term addiction management solutions while simultaneously addressing any causal psychological disorders.

What is an Attachment Disorder?

We learn to cultivate relationships in very early childhood. When our caregivers treat us with consistent affection, understanding, and patience, we are given the emotional and social tools necessary to form friendships based upon empathy, trust, and mutual respect. Unfortunately, children denied stable and loving bonding opportunities are statistically likely to develop attachment disorders later in life.

Attachment disorders inhibit the ability to make healthy, enduring human connections. Children with attachment disorders might exhibit a multitude of symptoms based upon the type of attachment disorder present. As they grow older, they might turn to intoxicating substances – drugs and/or alcohol – to alleviate feelings of isolation, self-doubt, and anxiety.

Attachment Disorder Symptoms & Causes

Attachment disorders in adults tend to exist on a spectrum. Normal social functioning might not be significantly inhibited in their mild forms, but anxieties surrounding forming platonic or romantic attachments can nonetheless exist. In severe conditions, attachment disorders can lead to self-isolation and impulsivity. A few common attachment disorder symptoms in adults include:

• Anxiety and fear
• Detachment
• Difficulty cultivating relationships
• Difficulty demonstrating or feeling affection
• Irritability
• Low trust in others
• Poor self-image

Attachment disorders can tend to occur in children who have experienced neglect or abuse in infancy. Children without consistent caregivers – who grew up in foster homes or group homes – are also likely to develop attachment disorders.

Several studies have found that children who have grown up either in foster care or as adoptees experience higher incidences of addiction. According to one study conducted between 2001 and 2003, 35 percent of the older children entered into eight counties within the Missouri state foster care system met the criteria for a substance use disorder. A 2012 study published in the online science journal PLoS One found an increased frequency of substance use disorders among adoptees compared to non-adoptees. While the individual circumstances surrounding addiction vary, it is believed that the absence of dependable parental affection leads to under-activation of the amygdala – the part of the brain that regulates emotion and the fight-or-flight response.

The Raleigh House Attachment Disorders Treatment

Diagnosis and treatment of emotional disorders are critical components of successfully addressing addictive behaviors. The coexistence of drug or alcohol dependence and a mental health disorder is called dual diagnosis. We provide mental health and substance use disorder treatments concurrently, helping our clients recognize the triggers that can jeopardize long-term sobriety. At The Raleigh House, our mission is to give our clients holistic solutions that facilitate long-term emotional, spiritual, and physical wellness.

Overcoming addiction isn’t just a matter of willpower. It involves a highly complex sequence of rehabilitation measures that require patience, guidance, and continual support. We are dedicated to giving our clients the resources they need to recognize and address underlying mental health challenges that might be exacerbating their substance misuse.

Recovery is a journey – let’s take it together. Call us today.