| Avoidant personality disorder | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Anxious personality disorder |
 | |
| Specialty | Psychiatry, clinical psychology |
| Symptoms | Social anxiety, social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy and inferiority, withdrawal |
| Complications | Substance use disorders, self-harm |
| Duration | Chronic |
| Risk factors | Childhood emotional neglect, Genetic predisposition |
| Differential diagnosis | Social anxiety disorder, Schizoid personality disorder, autism spectrum disorder, Schizotypal personality disorder |
| Treatment | Psychotherapy |
| Personality disorders |
|---|
| Cluster A (odd) |
| Cluster B (dramatic) |
| Cluster C (anxious) |
| Not otherwise specified |
| Depressive |
| Others |
Avoidant personality disorder (AvPD) or anxious personality disorder is a Cluster C personality disorder characterized by excessive social anxiety and inhibition, fear of intimacy (despite an intense desire for it), severe feelings of inadequacy and inferiority, and an overreliance on avoidance of feared stimuli (e.g. self-imposed social isolation) as a maladaptive coping method.[1] Those affected typically display a pattern of extreme sensitivity to negative evaluation and rejection, a belief that one is socially inept or personally unappealing to others, and avoidance of social interaction despite a strong desire for it.[2] It appears to affect an approximately equal number of men and women.[3]
People with AvPD often avoid social interaction for fear of being ridiculed, humiliated, rejected, or disliked. They typically avoid becoming involved with others unless they are certain they will not be rejected, and may also pre-emptively abandon relationships due to fear of a real or imagined risk of being rejected by the other party.[4]
Childhood emotional neglect (in particular, the rejection of a child by one or both parents) and peer group rejection are associated with an increased risk for its development; however, it is possible for AvPD to occur without any notable history of abuse or neglect.[5]
- ^ Anxious [avoidant personality disorder] in ICD-10: Diagnostic Criteria Archived 2016-06-18 at the Wayback Machine and Clinical descriptions and guidelines. Archived 2014-03-23 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Alternative DSM-5 Model for Personality Disorders". Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth ed.). American Psychiatric Association. 2013. pp. 234–236. doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596.156852. ISBN 978-0-89042-555-8.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
DSM-5was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
:5was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Avoidant Personality Disorder – Environmental Factors". Archived from the original on 2014-10-28. Retrieved 2013-07-22.