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Medical Author:

Bettina E Bernstein, DO

Medical Editor:

David Perlstein, MD, MBA, FAAP

David Perlstein, MD, MBA, FAAP

Dr. Perlstein received his Medical Degree from the University of Cincinnati and then completed his internship and residency in pediatrics at The New York Hospital, Cornell medical Center in New York City. After serving an additional year as Chief Pediatric Resident, he worked as a private practitioner and then was appointed Director of Ambulatory Pediatrics at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx.

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Exams and Tests

The following structured and semistructured interview scales, administered by a medical professional, can be extremely helpful for the diagnosis and treatment of separation anxiety disorder:

• The Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for Children (ADIS)



• The Anxiety Rating Scale for Children (Revised)



• Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC) - Duke University



• Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale



• Visual Analogue Scale for Anxiety (Revised)



• Interview Schedule for Anxiety Disorders for DSM-IV (Child Version)



• Social Anxiety Scale for Children (Revised)



• Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents Revised (DICA-R)



• National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC)



• Child Behavior Checklist (Achenback ASEBA)



• The Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) - Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (WPIC)



• The Separation Anxiety Test (Wash U)

A physical exam with clinically pertinent medical testing should be performed, preferably by the primary-care physician. Tests may be performed to rule out metabolic abnormalities (for example, hyperthyroidism, hypoglycemia), cardiovascular abnormalities, or central nervous system infections because they may cause symptoms of acute anxiety that, in children, might appear to be separation anxiety.