Avoidant Personality Disorder

What is Avoidant Personality Disorder?

Avoidant personality disorder is often considered to be a more severe and pervasive variant of social anxiety disorder. While both disorders are characterized by a fear of being negatively evaluated by others and avoidance of social situations, individuals with Avoidant Personality Disorder view themselves very negatively and are easily hurt by disapproval or criticism. While they long for social connection, their symptoms generally interfere with maintaining lasting or close relationships.

Other common symptoms include:

• Feeling inadequate, inhibited, excessively shy.
• Reluctance to engage with others unless certain they will be liked.
• Preoccupied with thoughts they that have (or will) do something wrong
• Avoids jobs that involve a lot of interpersonal contact, because of fears of criticism, disapproval, or rejection.
• Reluctant to take personal risks or to engage in new activities because they may be embarrassing.

How is Avoidant Personality Disorder Treated?

CBT is one of the treatments we use for this disorder because it focuses on changing negative beliefs a person has about their own self-worth and competency. Our team will work with you using cognitive and behavioural interventions that have been adapted for shame, self-criticism, and social anxiety. For some individuals, Radically-Open DBT is a better fit.

Treatments

RO-DBT, CBT

Learn More About Other Personality Disorders