Separation anxiety disorder in children

We propose the case of a nine years old girl who has sleeping problems during the precedent year. She cannot sleep on her own and needs to know there will be someone of her family waiting awake until she falls asleep. This also happens if she has to sleep out of her home. She knows it is not reasonable, but she cannot take it under control, which makes her feel anxious because this is affecting her social and family life. The differential diagnosis is based on the DSM-IV criteria and we conclude it is a separation anxiety disorder. Although there seem to be many risk factors the real causes of the disorder is unknown. Some authors relate it with anxiety disorders in adults. The treatment is mainly clinical.