Avoidant personality disorder

Avoidant personality disorder

Avoidant personality disorder

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Overview - The Wallflower

  • A pervasive pattern of social inhibition, profound feelings of inadequacy, and extreme sensitivity to negative evaluation. Individuals with APD desperately want social connection but are paralyzed by an intense fear of rejection.
  • Core Belief: "I am socially inept, personally unappealing, or inferior to others."
  • Behavioral Pattern:
    • Avoids occupations with significant interpersonal contact.
    • Unwilling to engage with people unless certain of being liked.
    • Shows restraint in intimate relationships, fearing shame or ridicule.

⭐ Differentiated from Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) by its pervasiveness; APD affects one's entire sense of self, whereas SAD is often situation-specific.

Clinical Features & Dx - Cautious & Cringing

  • A pervasive pattern of social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, and hypersensitivity to negative evaluation, beginning by early adulthood.
  • Diagnosis requires meeting ≥4 of the following criteria (📌 Mnemonic: CRINGES):
    • Certainty of being liked required before social involvement.
    • Restraint in intimate relationships due to fear of shame.
    • Inhibited in new interpersonal situations.
    • Negative self-view (socially inept, unappealing, inferior).
    • Gets around occupational activities with interpersonal contact.
    • Embarrassment fears prevent trying new things.
    • Sensitive to criticism or rejection.

Avoidant Personality Disorder: Signs and Behaviors

High-Yield: Unlike Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), Avoidant Personality Disorder is pervasive across all situations, not just specific performance/social contexts. The patient views these traits as integral to their personality (ego-syntonic).

Differential Diagnosis - Not Just Shy

  • Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD):

    • APD is more pervasive & ego-syntonic vs. SAD's situational fear (e.g., public speaking).
    • APD affects most life areas due to a core sense of inadequacy.
  • Schizoid Personality Disorder:

    • Key distinction: Avoidants crave connection but fear rejection.
    • Schizoids are genuinely indifferent to relationships and prefer solitude (social anhedonia).
  • Agoraphobia:

    • Fear relates to inescapable situations, not primarily social judgment. Often comorbid.
  • Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD):

    • DPD response to rejection fear: clinging, submissiveness.
    • APD response: withdrawal, relationship avoidance.

⭐ The core conflict in APD is the clash between a strong desire for connection and an intense fear of humiliation. Unlike schizoids, they experience their isolation as distressing.

Management - Building Bridges

  • Core Principle: Building a strong, trusting therapeutic alliance is paramount to counteract the patient's deep-seated fears of criticism and rejection.
  • Psychotherapy (Mainstay):
    • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Focuses on identifying and challenging cognitive distortions related to inadequacy and social rejection.
    • Social Skills Training: Employs graded exposure and role-playing to incrementally build confidence in feared social situations.
    • Group Therapy: Can be highly effective if the environment is supportive, offering a safe space to practice new interpersonal skills.
  • Pharmacotherapy (Adjunctive):
    • Treats comorbid conditions, primarily social anxiety disorder and depression.
    • SSRIs (e.g., sertraline) are often used.

Signs and behaviors of Avoidant Personality Disorder

⭐ Unlike schizoid personality disorder, individuals with avoidant PD do desire social relationships but are intensely fearful of the rejection they feel is inevitable.

High-Yield Points - ⚡ Biggest Takeaways

  • A pervasive pattern of social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, and hypersensitivity to negative evaluation.
  • Patients avoid occupations with significant interpersonal contact due to fears of criticism, disapproval, or rejection.
  • They are unwilling to get involved with people unless certain of being liked.
  • Views self as socially inept, personally unappealing, or inferior to others.
  • Differentiated from social anxiety disorder by the pervasiveness of the avoidance.
  • Psychotherapy is the mainstay of treatment.

Practice Questions: Avoidant personality disorder

Test your understanding with these related questions

A 26-year-old woman thinks poorly of herself and is extremely sensitive to criticism. She is socially inhibited and has never had a romantic relationship, although she desires one. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?

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Flashcards: Avoidant personality disorder

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_____ disorders are characterized by an inappropriate experience of fear/worry and physical manifestations incongruent with the magnitude of the perceived stressor

TAP TO REVEAL ANSWER

_____ disorders are characterized by an inappropriate experience of fear/worry and physical manifestations incongruent with the magnitude of the perceived stressor

Anxiety

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