Separation Anxiety (cont.)

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



• 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 with the primary care physician. Especially if improvement is not seen, tests may be performed to rule out metabolic abnormalities (eg, 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.

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