What happens if a child or adult with Attachment Disorder does not receive appropriate treatment?

Without appropriate treatment, children with Attachment Disorder suffer an inability to form lasting, loving relationships. They lack conscience development and cannot trust. They often grow into distant, manipulative, uncaring adults.

Children with a mild degree of Attachment Disorder benefit considerably from intensive attachment therapy. Without such therapy, these children are likely to develop borderline personality disorder in late adolescence, and will have serious difficulties forming adult relationships and parenting their own children.

Children who have a moderate degree of Attachment Disorder are in definite need of intensive attachment therapy if there is to be any hope for them to be able to function outside of mental health or criminal justice institutions as adolescents and adults. Most respond quite well to intensive attachment therapy. Without such therapy these children are apt to develop either borderline or antisocial personality disorder in late adolescence, may have persistent difficulties in interpersonal and work situations as adults, and may be unable to appropriately parent their own children. In fact, their children are likely to experience serious maltreatment and end up in foster care themselves.

Children with a severe degree of Attachment Disorder have many of the symptoms of conduct disorder. These children are extremely disturbed and are highly likely to enter the juvenile justice system or mental health facilities if they do not receive appropriate care for periods of time during treatment as their behavior problems make them dangerous to family members, schools and the community. Without extensive attachment therapy it is highly likely that they will develop antisocial personality disorder and psychopathic personality style in late adolescence, and will engage in persistent criminal behavior. They may be completely unable to parent their own children, as they are highly likely to seriously maltreat them. They may kill or otherwise seriously harm others and show no remorse for these actions. They represent a serious threat to society.

Adults who do not receive appropriate treatment may experience difficulties in their personal and work relationships. Those who have conflicts with authority figures may be unable to hold jobs or may engage in illegal behavior. Adults with untreated Attachment Disorder are usually unable to form lasting love relationships. Those who are parents often find it impossible to form healthy emotional connections with their own children.