Even though about 1 in 11 people in the U.S. fits the diagnosis criteria for a personality disorder, avoidant personality disorder is a rare condition, affecting only a very miniscule percent of the population. People who have avoidant personality disorder suffer from extreme sensitivity to what other people think about them, abnormally low self-esteem, and life-long feelings of inferiority. As a result of their severe shyness, individuals with this disorder will often avoid any situation that involves any kind of social interaction, including school and work.
Since people who suffer from avoidant personality disorder are hyper-aware of the expressions and movements of others around them, they will constantly compare their anxiety to the apparent ease of others in social situations; this will reaffirm their belief that they continually fall short. This line of thinking creates a vicious cycle, since their tense and fearful demeanor can cause outward ridicule from people around them, and this rejection will only reinforce their inward self-doubt.
Symptoms
Symptoms of avoidant personality disorder are usually exhibited by early adulthood. If you are excessively shy or timid, that does not necessarily mean you have avoidant personality disorder. To be diagnosed with this condition, you will present the majority of these symptoms:
- Obsession with being rejected or criticized in any and all social situations
- Chronic view of yourself as personally unappealing, socially incompetent, and generally inferior to others
- Extreme restraint in romantic relationships because of irrational fear of rejection
- Inhibition in unfamiliar situations as a result of inescapable feeling of inadequacy
- Reluctance to engage in any form of personal risk out of fear of embarrassment
- Avoidance of activities that involve interpersonal contact, including occupational expectations, which can lead to extreme difficulties for functioning in the workplace
- Unwillingness to interact with people at all, unless there is a guarantee of being accepted and liked
Because a diagnosis of any personality disorder requires an understanding of the long-term, enduring patterns of behavior for an individual, these disorders are typically not diagnosed until adulthood. Although diagnosing a child or teen with a personality disorder does happen occasionally, it is a rare occurrence since children and teens are going through significant changes in personality and maturation at rapid rates.
Most personality disorders, including avoidant personality disorder, will usually decrease in severity as the individual gets older. By the time someone who is diagnosed with this disorder reaches his or her 40s or 50s, fewer of the most extreme symptoms will be experienced.
