Avoidant personality disorder, also abbreviated as (AvPD) is a type of personality disorder belonging to Cluster C or fearful thinking groups. It is mostly characterized by having intense fear of being rejected, nervousness, and extreme social inhibition.
Fearful or anxious personalities like those belonging to Cluster C personality disorders are usually characterized by how extremely shy and sensitive they are to criticism from others.
An interesting fact about Avoidant personality disorders is that they are often associated with other mental health conditions like anxiety disorders (ex: social anxiety disorder). This is due to how similar symptoms are between avoidant and socially anxious disorder groupings.
Avoidant behavior in:
Lack of:
Avoidant personality disorder is more common in women than men with an estimated prevalence rate of 3.6%. AvPD is usually not diagnosed in people younger than 18 years old when symptoms are enduring, inflexible, and recurrent.
The treatment process for AvPD might be challenging and time-consuming because most symptoms are deep-rooted patterns of thinking and behavior that have existed for years. Yet, people with avoidant personality disorder are good candidates for treatment especially in the realm of developing stronger relationships with others.
If you or someone you know suspect that you have symptoms similar of Avoidant personality disorder, we encourage you to seek professional help early on. Lastly, we know that sometimes people tend to read symptoms associated with a certain disorder and claim that “I do that, I have this etc.”. when this happens, just remember that these symptoms have to be recurrent, persistent, and affect everyday job tasks greatly. They are rare and chronic, but help is always reachable and effective.