Avoidant Personality Disorder

People suffering from Avoidant Personality Disorder often want to be liked, but they hold back in the presence of others and often do not interact. Like those who suffer from schizoid personality disodere which has many similar symptoms, people who suffer from APD tend to be social loners, but unlike the the people who have schizoid personality disorder they do not avoid contact with others out of preference, but instead hold back in such situations out of fear.

People who suffer from this illness may adopt appearance or mannerisms that cause others to shy away from them. The attitude is one perhaps best expressed a few years ago by the MTV cartoon character Daria in the episode Psycho Therapy. Essentially, she said that she pushed others away so they would not like her so they would not feel bad when they did not. Often this establishes "safe" people for the avoidant person to be around.

Www.mentalhealth.com defines the condition as: "A pervasive pattern of social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, and hypersensitivity to negative evaluation, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by four (or more) of the following:

1. avoids occupational activities that involve significant interpersonal contact, because of fears of criticism, disapproval, or rejection

2. is unwilling to get involved with people unless certain of being liked

3. shows restraint within intimate relationships because of the fear of being shamed or ridiculed

4. is preoccupied with being criticized or rejected in social situations

5. is inhibited in new interpersonal situations because of feelings of inadequacy

6. views self as socially inept, bpersonally unappealing, or inferior to others

7. is unusually reluctant to take personal risks or to engage in any new activities because they may prove embarrassing."

Avoidant Personality Disorder is often seen more often in males than females although this may be due to social structure rather than actual genetic bias. Most people come into treatment because men in the west are expected to be the initiators of romantic encounters. Often people are referred to treatment by an older relative concerned about the avoidant or social anxiety patients lack of dating.

Treatment for the disease often centers on two things. Anti-depressant drugs such as Zoloft or Paxil are given to the patient and the patient is gradually increased to more social activities throughout the treatment. Generally once entering treatment the avoidant or social anxiety patient does well. Because they fear not being liked, they will generally and of course are overly sensitive to criticism they will generally follow the recommendations of the therapist.

Knowing the psychological impact is good, but when some one has avoidant personality disorder or social anxiety disorder the fear of rejection often leads the person to prefer social isolation and in some ways going through treatment for the disorder is difficult. A person suffering from the illness must first get out of his comfort zone in order to make any progress.

Sources:

http://www.avoidantpersonality.com/crisis/?sidemenu

www.mentalhealth.com