Mental Health · In-depth guide

Avoidant Personality Disorder Diagnosis

Avoidant Personality Disorder Diagnosis, classification and Differential Diagnosis

Medically reviewed byGerald Hurowitz, M.D.Updated 24 July 201010 min read

Key points

For different cultures it may be necessary to develop specific sets of criteria with regard to social norms, rules and obligations.
This disorder is characterized by a long-standing and complex pattern of feelings of inadequacy, extreme sensitivity to what other people think about them, and social inhibition.
Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fourth edition.
In terms of differential diagnosis it is important to differentiate the avoidant personality disorder from Schizoid Personality Disorder, although that differential may be difficult.

Conditions not directly attributable to gross brain damage or disease, or to another psychiatric disorder, meeting the following criteria:

markedly dysharmonious attitudes and behaviour, involving usually several areas of functioning, e.g. affectivity, arousal, impulse control, ways of perceiving and thinking, and style of relating to others;
the abnormal behaviour pattern is enduring, of long standing, and not limited to episodes of mental illness;
the abnormal behaviour pattern is pervasive and clearly maladaptive to a broad range of personal and social situations;
the above manifestations always appear during childhood or adolescence and continue into adulthood;
the disorder leads to considerable personal distress but this may only become apparent late in its course;
the disorder is usually, but not invariably, associated with significant problems in occupational and social performance.

Mental Health · In-depth guide

Avoidant Personality Disorder Diagnosis, classification and Differential Diagnosis

Medically reviewed byGerald Hurowitz, M.D.Updated 24 July 201010 min read

For different cultures it may be necessary to develop specific sets of criteria with regard to social norms, rules and obligations.
This disorder is characterized by a long-standing and complex pattern of feelings of inadequacy, extreme sensitivity to what other people think about them, and social inhibition.
Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fourth edition.
In terms of differential diagnosis it is important to differentiate the avoidant personality disorder from Schizoid Personality Disorder, although that differential may be difficult.

Conditions not directly attributable to gross brain damage or disease, or to another psychiatric disorder, meeting the following criteria:

markedly dysharmonious attitudes and behaviour, involving usually several areas of functioning, e.g. affectivity, arousal, impulse control, ways of perceiving and thinking, and style of relating to others;
the abnormal behaviour pattern is enduring, of long standing, and not limited to episodes of mental illness;
the abnormal behaviour pattern is pervasive and clearly maladaptive to a broad range of personal and social situations;
the above manifestations always appear during childhood or adolescence and continue into adulthood;
the disorder leads to considerable personal distress but this may only become apparent late in its course;
the disorder is usually, but not invariably, associated with significant problems in occupational and social performance.