Causes When children are raised without the psychological or physical protection they need, they may internalize a substantial amount of fear, which is also referred to as chronic loss. Not receiving the necessary psychological or physical protection results in abandonment. If children live with repeated abandonment, these experiences can cause shame. Shame arises from the painful message implied in abandonment: "You are not important. You are not of value." This is the pain from which people need to heal. As the child grows older, these internalizations can lead to them physically hurting themselves, or getting into drugs and alcohol. Over time they will start to treat the people close to them differently and will become more irritable and angry. Another cause for these internalizations can be the Socio-Economic status of the child's family and the environment they are surrounded with. See also Reactive attachment disorder Notes Mental disorders diagnosed in childhood Child abandonment