People who have avoidant personality disorder suffer from feelings of rejection, shyness and inadequacy in the extreme. The condition can make people extremely shy or apprehensive about maintaining relationships due to their excessive fear of rejection, or lack of the confidence required for social or interpersonal situations.

What is Avoidant Personality Disorder?

Avoidant personality disorder is a mental condition or personality disorder that makes people afraid of rejections and criticism. It makes them socially shy and fills them with feelings of inadequacy. The condition is characterized by anxiety about rejection and leads to social withdrawal. Avoidant personality disorder symptoms can appear in adolescence and last for life without treatment. The condition can affect a person’s social, family and professional life.

Symptoms

Symptoms of avoidant personality disorder can be social isolation and low self-esteem. People with this condition can avoid social activities, work events and school for perceived fear of rejection. Fear of speaking, feeling embarrassed, social detachment , extreme anxiety and difficulty in speaking in company are also symptoms of this disorder. People with the disorder avoid forming relationships and minimize social contact. They have a fear of social situations, rejections in social situations or relationships and in general. They may be tensed, nervous and worry constantly about rejections.

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Causes

There are many avoidant personality disorder causes such as experiences of childhood parental rejection, genetics or changes in appearance. An illness that alters a person’s appearance in some way can be the trigger for their disorder. Certain people are genetically inclined to develop personality disorders or extreme anxiety. Children who face parental rejection in the worst form possible such as grave neglect or constant rejection, disapproval and criticism can develop avoidant personality disorder in their teen years or twenties. They may begin to avoid situations that call for acceptance or rejection or presenting themselves socially. The condition can escalate and worsen with time.

Treatment

Avoidant personality disorder treatment can only begin once it is diagnosed by a mental health professional or a doctor . There is no avoidant personality disorder test for diagnostic purposes. The diagnosis is based on symptoms by a mental health or medical professional such as a psychiatrist or a trained psychologist.
The treatment can include psychotherapy that can be short-term or long-term. Therapy with a mental health expert can provide coping tools to people with avoidant personality disorder. Short-term therapy can be helpful in treating specific concerns of people with personality disorders. Sessions can deal with anxiety or low self-esteem.
Therapy can help to establish reasons behind the condition. It can then include measures to make the condition better. Therapist will teach candidates ways to manage their symptoms and form meaningful relationships. Once people understand the impact of their condition not only on themselves but their loved ones; they are likely to react more positively to treatment.
For severe cases, psychiatrists can also prescribe medications to help manage symptoms. Medicines may only be helpful in case of severe anxiety or if another mental condition is present alongside avoidant personality disorder.

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Steps to Deal with Avoidant Personality Disorder

People with the disorder will rarely seek treatment on their own. Treatment is a social situation and they may not feel comfortable with it. If you have a loved one with this kind of personality disorder, help them to find courage to seek treatment. Convince them to try one short-term therapy session to gauge their comfort level with the treatment.
Consult with mental experts with experience in handling personality disorders. Therapist needs to have the experience in developing a trusting relationship with the person with avoidant personality disorder otherwise the treatment can’t work. Once individuals with personality disorders can trust their therapists and not fear rejection by them; they can respond to treatment.

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