Guide To The Major Types Of Personality Disorders

Avoidant Personality Disorder

Avoidant personality disorder is an anxious personality disorder. Patients with this disorder are more likely to be receptive to treatment than with some other personality disorders because this condition causes significant distress. The majority of patients with avoidant personality disorder have the desire to form healthy relationships, but they're too afraid of rejection to sustain them. Someone with this disorder has low self-esteem and is intensely fearful of the negative judgment of others. The feelings of fear and inadequacy lead to discomfort in social situations. Many individuals who have avoidant personality disorder are so socially anxious that they avoid social contact and group activities wherever they can. Most cases of avoidant personality disorder begin in infancy or childhood, but the disorder doesn't tend to be diagnosed in patients who haven't yet reached eighteen years old. Some patients with avoidant personality disorder may have developed the disorder as a result of caregiver negligence or rejection in childhood.