Avoidant Personality Disorder: Extreme Shyness?

What is known as Avoidant Personality Disorder It is a type of personality disorder characterized by avoidance of social relationships taken to the extreme. To summarize it in a very superficial way, it is a disorder in which shyness produced by the fear of giving a bad image to others leads the person to isolate themselves and avoid interacting with others.

Next We will see the symptoms, causes and treatments used to improve the well-being of people diagnosed with this disorder.

What is Avoidant Personality Disorder?

Also known as Anxious Personality Disorder, or simply as avoidant disorder, this disorder has strong social inhibition as its fundamental characteristic. This means that people with this behavior pattern always try to maintain a very discreet profile, not attract attention and whenever possible they stay away from others.

In the DSM IV diagnostic manual, belongs to group C of personality disorders that of anxiety disorders, along with Dependent Personality Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder.

Symptoms

The main symptoms of Avoidant Personality Disorder They are the following. In any case, it must be clear that the diagnosis of this disorder (and that of other psychological disorders) can only be made by a mental health professional, examining case by case.

1. Deliberate isolation

People who have this disorder They confine themselves to their homes or their rooms. for much longer periods than normal, and as much as possible they avoid interacting with other people.

2. Anxiety in social contexts

When there are people around, especially if they are strangers, it is common signs of anxiety appear such as increased heart rate, tremors, and difficulty speaking (which contributes to avoidance of speaking). Consequently, their social skills are poor.

3. Extreme sensitivity to criticism

Negative evaluations of others directed towards oneself have devastating effects on people with Avoidant Personality Disorder, which makes them feel humiliated and rejected very easily.

4. Low self-esteem

Another characteristic of these people is that they have very little confidence in your abilities and a clear feeling of inferiority is reflected in their beliefs.

5. Escapist fantasies

These people tend to frequently fantasize about how they would like their lives to be.

6. Distrust

The fear of giving a bad public image makes one tend to distrust others in anticipation of their own inferiority and others being revealed. try to take advantage of the situation.

7. Constant state of surveillance

Avoidance disorder is associated with a continued state of alert through which the environment is examined to discover potential threats.

8. Avoidance of physical contact

These kinds of experiences have been associated with unpleasant experiences distressing or painful, so they try not to repeat them.

Differential diagnosis and similar disorders

Very often, Avoidant Personality Disorder occurs in people with agoraphobia; around 15% of patients diagnosed with the second also present with the first. Regarding people with social phobia around 30% of them also present avoidance disorder.

These diagnostic categories belong to anxiety disorders, whose basic difference with Avoidant Personality Disorder is that in this second the person focuses a good part of his fear and concern on the reactions of others instead of basically directing them towards himself.

However, the relationship between avoidance disorder and social phobia remains highly debated, and in many cases it is difficult to distinguish them, although some studies attribute a somewhat lower level of anxiety to social phobia.

Causes

Like any mental disorder with complex characteristics, it is estimated that the root of Avoidant Personality Disorder is multi-causal, and therefore it is not realistic to attribute a single mechanism of appearance. However, in the absence of more research in this regard, it is considered that the early experiences of isolation and lack of emotional ties During childhood and adolescence it plays a very important role.

As the person has learned that rejection is the normal experience that comes “by default,” they assimilate the idea that rejection from others is inevitable and will appear in every social interaction.

Treatments

Psychological treatments for Avoidant Personality Disorder are based on cognitive behavioral therapy. This form of intervention allows modify beliefs on which low self-esteem is based, and at the same time offers a context in which to learn new habits to socialize, making anxiety and fear subside.

In the same way, social skills training It also has beneficial effects and improves the person’s chances of learning the skills necessary to find work and gain autonomy.

Regarding the use of psychotropic drugs these are only used when it is essential and to treat symptoms linked to anxiety and associated symptoms.