Lost child syndrome is a pattern of behavior and emotional experience in which a family member, and often a child, withdraws from family interactions or becomes invisible or even struggles with emotional intimacy as a result of feeling overwhelmed and or feeling neglected in a dysfunctional family environment they are in.
Children and those that have lost child syndrome often seek out solitude and avoid conflict, but may also struggle to develop emotional skills and social skills.
Lost child syndrome can also have lasting impacts on people and affect a persons self esteem, overall well being and their ability to form relationships.
Lost children will often spend a considerable amount of time being alone and will often seek out privacy and solitude to escape the families chaos.
Lost children also tend to blend into the woodwork and avoid drawing attention to themselves and might even be perceived as being invisible.
And the lost child or child or person with lost children syndrome may even shut down or check out when faced with difficult situations and may also actively avoid confrontation.
They also often struggle when expressing their needs or asserting themselves and may even fear that they will be a burden and they may also feel numb or detached from their emotions and find it difficult for them to experience or express them.
And they may also struggle to maintain or form healthy relationships, both within and outside the family and may strive for perfection in order to avoid any criticism or draw attention to themselves.
Lost child syndrome is often rooted in family environments that are characterized by abuse, neglect or emotional unavailability.
Exposure to traumatic experiences within the family can also lead to the development of lost child syndrome.
Lost children may not also receive the emotional support and nurturing they require to thrive and lead to feelings of worthlessness and inadequacy.