What Is Avoidant Personality Disorder (APD)? 7 Symptoms To Identify It
Do you know Avoidant Personality Disorder? What does it mean to have an avoidant personality due to this disorder? Discover the symptoms to detect it and how to treat it.
The teaavoidant personality disorder (EPD) He is little known socially and is not one of those who attract the most attention on the networks. More is known about social phobia and antisocial personality disorder, and sometimes the diagnoses can be confused, since they share common traits but with a number of differences.
When a person has this avoidant personality disorder They usually feel extreme social inhibition due to the perception of themselves as insufficient as well as the sensitivity that these individuals have to negative criticism and rejection.
However the avoidant disorder It does not imply being shy or feeling socially awkward, this avoidant personality disorder usually causes many problems as it affects the ability to interact with others and maintain meaningful relationships. It is estimated that approximately 1% of the population has avoidant personality disorder.
He avoidant personality disorder TPE It is a disorder based on extreme sensitivity to rejection and negative judgment from others. They are people who live hypervigilantly and with constant fear of criticism, an aspect that leads them to socially isolate themselves and avoid jobs or situations that involve social interaction.
Even if they do not see clear signs that others reject them, the person with PED or avoidant disorder He/she feels that others think badly of him/her, that he/she is inept or incapable and criticizes himself/herself excessively, so he/she retreats to prevent him/her from discovering his/her level of ineptitude. This distrust of what others may think about him/her causes great emotional exhaustion for the person, who feels no other way out other than social seclusion caused by a negative self-concept and in turn causes feelings of sadness and continued anxiety.
Thus, it can be said that it is a disorder that causes very low self-esteem. It is not known for sure whether it is continued low self-esteem that causes avoidance disorder or it happens the other way around. The truth is that it is not necessary for the person to accumulate bad experiences at a social level for avoidance disorder to develop, but rather it may be a matter of core beliefs that develop since childhood and that are corroborated by the experiences that are accumulated. .
A person who suffers from this avoidant personality disorder practices what psychologists call “thought reading“which is based on taking for granted what others think about oneself, without having evidence that this is really the case. Therefore, they often use phrases like: “Why try if I’m going to fail?“, “If I tell him anything he’ll think it’s stupid“, “People like to humiliate, if I show myself, they will see my weak points and hurt me“, “I am a failure“, “I’m the least interesting person there is“, etc.
Unlike antisocial personality disorder, people with this avoidant personality disorder They want to relate, but the fear of being rejected is so great that they avoid it. People who suffer from antisocial disorder do not desire contact but rather enjoy solitude.
He TPE is a personality disorder, which implies that it is not a specific issue of the person but rather it is a personality tendency. This means that the course is generally chronic, unlike Social Phobia, which is a state disorder and not a trait disorder.
Symptoms of PED, avoidant personality disorder
According to the DSM-V, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorderspeople with this avoidance disorder They usually suffer from the following symptoms:
Avoidance of social interactions: The person avoids jobs or activities that involve interpersonal contact, due to fear of being criticized, disapproval and/or rejection. In fact, people who suffer from avoidance disorder They tend to isolate themselves socially, which can be a danger to their mental health.
Fear of rejection: A person with avoidant disorder He usually avoids getting involved with people unless he is sure they will be liked.
Fear of the disapproval of others: He represses himself in intimate relationships for fear of being embarrassed or ridiculed. The fear of suffering shame from others leads them to this avoidant behavior typical of this disorder.
Criticism phobia: Has a high fear of being criticized or rejected in any type of social situation
Feelings of inferiority: He feels inferior to anyone and that causes a pattern of inhibition and avoidance before others.
Low self-esteem: They consider themselves socially inept, uninteresting and/or inferior to others. Normally, the avoidant personality disorder It is usually closely related to low self-esteem.
Avoidance of intimate relationships: He/she is reluctant to get involved in new activities because of the possibility of feeling compromised and running the risk of being rejected.
These are the main signs that may indicate that a person suffers from this avoidance disorder If you feel identified with many of them, it is important that you consult with a mental health professional.
What causes avoidance disorder?
The cause of this is not yet known. avoidant disorder but most researchers point towards a biopsychosocial origin, that is, a biological or genetic component combined with another component learned by the person’s earliest environment, mainly due to the relationship that parents have with the environment and the idea that these parents have. about society as well as the child’s first experiences of interaction with society (friends, family, etc.).
All this ends up causing in the person certain personality traits (the third influencing factor) and stress management skills, which are shaped by environmental factors and the genetic base, thus causing avoidant personality disorder
There are studies that seem to indicate that if parents suffer from avoidance disorder it is more likely that children will also suffer from it, not only because of the possible genetic component but also because of the beliefs and ways of behaving that will be instilled in the child and that they will see in their parents, who are the minor’s role model.
What consequences does this avoidant behavior have?
Over time, the avoidant personality disorder It can have a very profound impact on the daily experience of people who suffer from it. In fact, people can suffer the following consequences:
Isolation and loneliness: People who suffer from avoidance disorder They may suffer self-induced isolation and suffer from the consequences that unintentional loneliness can have on mental health. In fact, a lack of social connection can make people feel alone and isolated, something that often contributes to disorders such as depression.
Challenges at school and work: Negative thoughts and the fear of feeling rejected in relationships can cause the avoidant disorder be an impediment to performing well at school, university and at work.
Mental health problems: Lack of social support can also contribute to suffering more from the consequences of excess stress. Furthermore, not having connections with others can be one of the risk factors for developing sleep disorders, substance abuse, and can even increase the chances of suffering from diseases such as diabetes or heart problems.
Since it is a personality disorder, is usually diagnosed in adulthood, but is often masked under the diagnosis of social phobia. Furthermore, many times people with this disorder do not come to therapy because they give up, they only come when the condition causes them such discomfort that they are completely destroyed as a person or when a family member raises the alarm.
It must be taken into account that people with avoidant personality disorder They have great rigidity and excessive limitation on change, so psychological treatment is usually combined with pharmacological treatment to achieve better results.
Psychotherapy must focus on working on the origin of these core thoughts, inhibition and possible negative experiences that may have caused isolation. Thus, thoughts and experiences must be reformulated while work must be done to improve self-esteem and self-concept so that the person can expose themselves to social relationships without that constant evaluation and fear.
