Avoidant Personality Disorder

	Tweet

Individuals with avoidant personality disorder desire relationships but avoid them because of the anxiety produced by their sense of inadequacy.

Epidemiology
Lifetime prevalence is 0.5% to 1 % of the general population and appears to be of equal prevalence in men and women.

Etiology
There are no conclusive data. The pattern of avoidance may start in infancy. 

Clinical Manifestations
History and Mental Status Examination
People with avoidant personality disorder experience intense feelings of inadequacy. They are painfully sensitive to criticism, so much so that they are compelled to avoid spending time with people. Their fears of rejection and humiliation are so powerful that to engage in a relationship they seek strong guarantees of acceptance. The essence of this disorder is inadequacy, hypersensitivity to criticism, and consequent social inhibition.

Differential Diagnosis
The major diagnostic distinction is between avoidant personality disorder and social phobia, generalized type.

RELATED STORIES:
Personality Disorders   Advances in treatment of borderline personality disorder   Narcissistic Personality Disorder   Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASP)   Borderline Personality Disorder   Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder   Personality Disorders: Management   Histrionic Personality Disorder   Paranoid Personality Disorder   Schizotypal Personality Disorder   Schizoid Personality Disorder   Dependent Personality Disorder

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]