Avoidant Personality Disorder (APD) is a condition characterized by extreme shyness, feelings of inadequacy, and sensitivity to rejection.
Causes:
- Avoidant Personality disorder usually appears in early childhood with signs of excessive shyness when the child is faced with new
situations and new people. This disorder may also be influenced by a combination of social, genetic, and biological factors.
Symptoms:
- Fear of rejection
- Hypersensitivity
- Excessive shyness
- Patterns of social avoidance
- Reluctant to participate in social involvement
- Fears being shamed or ridiculed in close relationships
- Preoccupied with being criticized or rejected
- Avoids occupational activities that require significant interpersonal contact
Treatment :
- The general treatment goal for patients with APD is the improvement of self esteem and confidence. These individuals are encouraged to engage in group therapy. This ill allow them to interact with others who share similar social experiences.
- Other forms of therapy :
- Psychodynamically Oriented therapy
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Family & Marital therapy
Prognosis:
- Higher functioning people with APD can generally be expected to improve their social awareness and social skills to some degree. However, because of the great amount of social fear, these patterns usually do not change dramatically. Lower functioning people are likely to drop out of treatment if they become too anxious.
