Relationship between separation anxiety and panic and agoraphobic disorders.

The paper addresses several issues pertinent to the characteristics and treatment of separation anxiety in children and adults. The rationale for separating separation anxiety from other childhood anxiety conditions rests on clinical observations of its relationship to panic disorder and its response to drug treatment. The psychopharmacological treatment of separation anxiety is reviewed, with special emphasis on the use of tricyclic antidepressants. The literature relevant to a possible association between separation anxiety and adult panic disorder is presented. The prevalence of separation anxiety disorder in adult outpatients with panic disorder is discussed. Data are presented to address the issue of treatment response in adult panic disorders with and without separation anxiety.