Reactive Attachment Disorder In Troubled Teens

Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) is found in troubled teens that did not form an instinctive or healthy attachment with their guardian; whether that be parents, grandparents, foster parents, etc. The attachment that is missing usually happens before the age of 5 and there are many different reasons why this could have happened. Parents of troubled teens who struggle with RAD often feel that hope is lost because the past cannot be changed. Liahona Academy is a residential treatment center that can be apart of changing you and your troubled teen's future. If your family is suffering from the effects of Reactive Attachment Disorder, please call Liahona Academy at 1-800-675-8101.

The attachment that we form with our primary caregiver in our childhood is what teaches us to love and be aware of the feelings of others. We learn trust, compassion, and how to naturally build relationships with others. We are able to develope these loving traits usually by the age of 5 if we are given the correct attention to your needs. This is the issue that most troubled teens usually encounter. When the loving attachment is absent in a child’s life, they have no way to learn love and how to develop the skills they need to accept other people into their lives.

Causes of Reactive Attachment Disorder in Troubled Teens

• A disregard of a child’s needs for affection and comfort
• Basic physical needs of a child are neglected
• Frequent changes in guardianship over a child

Some individuals gradually learn and push past the neglect they have felt and teach themselves to feel compassion for others and to focus on the needs of others. For some, this process is a little more difficult and they develop Reactive Attachment Disorder. These teens often show signs such as detachment, resistance to comfort and unresponsive to comfort given, holding back emotions, and a withdrawn personality. Although it is not exactly possible to “cure” RAD, it is possible to help these troubled teens discover their purpose in this world and to know that they are loved. Liahona Academy offers incredible therapeutic sessions for families and programs to the struggling boys who are seeking help from our long-term therapeutic programs. As a residential treatment center, we have the opportunity to house these troubled boys and help them to understand the concept of loving one another. To most of these teens, it feels like they have been given a second chance to learn what they couldn’t as a child and to apply it to their lives.

Liahona Academy is extending a loving hand to your troubled teen and offering them the opportunity to be able build relationships throughout the rest of their lives. We can give you and your family a feeling of peace and solitude. If you are the parent of a child suffering from Reactive Attachment Disorder, call Liahona Academy today at 1-800-675-8101 and let us begin this wonderful journey with you.