Symptoms of RAD in Children

• Superficially charming and engaging, particularly around strangers or those who they feel they can manipulate
• Indiscriminate affection, often to strangers; but not affectionate on parent’s terms
• Problems making eye contact, except when angry or lying
• A severe need to control everything and everyone; worsens as the child gets older
• Hypervigilant
• Hyperactive, yet lazy in performing tasks
• Argumentative, often over silly or insignificant things
• Frequent tantrums or rage, often over trivial issues
  Demanding or clingy, often at inappropriate times
• Trouble understanding cause and effect
• Poor impulse control
• Lacks morals, values, and spiritual faith
• Little or no empathy; often have not developed a conscience
• Cruelty to animals
• Lying for no apparent reason
• False allegations of abuse
• Destructive to property or self
• Stealing
• Constant chatter; nonsense questions
• Abnormal speech patterns; uninterested in learning communication skills
• Developmental / Learning delays
• Fascination with fire, blood and gore, weapons, evil; will usually make the bad choice
• Problems with food; either hoarding it or refusing to eat
• Concerned with details, but ignoring the main issues
• Few or no long term friends; tend to be loners
• Attitude of entitlement and self-importance
• Sneaks things without permission even if he could have had them by asking
• Triangulation of adults; pitting one against the other
• A darkness behind the eyes when raging

Symptoms of RAD in Adults

• Avoidant
• Unreasonable or inappropriate anger
• Hostile
• Overcritical of others and self
• Intolerant of rules and authority
• Lack of empathy or remorse
• Views others as untrustworthy and unreliable
• Shallow/Vain
• Feelings of self-importance
• Feelings of entitlement or arrogance
• Self-reliance; prefers to work alone than with others
• Views relationships as threatening, or not worth the effort
• May be a workaholic, as a way of avoiding relationships
• Feelings of being unique
• Grandiose or unrealistic fantasies
• Anxious/Ambivalent
• Compulsive caregiving
• Feels underappreciated
• Many short-term relationships
• Idealizes others
• Possessive; makes unrealistic demands of partners in relationships
• Preoccupied with relationships, and easily makes declarations of affection
• Obtains feelings of security through relationships
• Sees relationships as imbalanced
• Oversensitive to rejection, easily gives in to jealousy
• Sees others as being difficult to understand
• Unable to understand the concept of altruism
  Extreme emotions
• May Also Include
• Prone to depression
• Socially inappropriate behavior
• Impulsive
• Manipulative
• Risk-taking
• Self-mutilating behavior
• Often do not remember much of childhood experiences
• Darkness behind the eyes when angered
• At risk of abusing their own children
• Children with RAD may become adults diagnosed with sociopathic, narcissistic, antisocial, or borderline disorder

Last Modified on: Friday, March 02, 2007