Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder (DSED) or Disinhibited Attachment Disorder of Childhood is an attachment disorder that consists of “a pattern of behavior in which a child actively approaches and interacts with unfamiliar adults.” and which “…significantly impairs young children’s abilities to relate interpersonally to adults and peers.” For example, sitting on the lap of a stranger or peer, or leaving with a stranger. DSED is exclusively a childhood disorder and is not diagnosed before the age of nine months or after the age of five. Infants and very young children are at risk if they receive inconsistent or insufficient care from a primary caregiver
Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder (DSM-5 313.89 (F94.2)) is the 2013 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) name formerly listed as a subtype of reactive attachment disorder (RAD) called disinhibited attachment disorder (DAD). The corresponding disorder in ICD-10 is Disinhibited Attachment Disorder of Childhood.
The American Psychiatric Association considers "…disinhibited social engagement disorder more closely resembles ADHD; it may occur in children who do not necessarily lack attachments and may have established or even secure attachments. The two disorders differ in other important ways, including correlates, course, and response to intervention, and for these reasons are considered separate disorders