Home Remedies and Herbs for Avoidant Personality Disorder

Avoidant personality disorder is a rare mental condition characterized by extreme shyness that causes the person to avoid socializing with others. People with avoidant personality disorder feel inadequate or judged by others even if it is just perceived. They often feel rejected and subsequently suffer from low-self esteem that prevents them from putting themselves into social settings.^{1 2 3} It is estimated that avoidant personality disorder impacts between 1-2.5% of the population.^{1 2 4}

What Causes Avoidant Personality Disorder?

Avoidant personality disorder causes are not known. Researchers believe avoidant personality disorder stems from a combination of social, genetic and psychological factors. These avoidant personality disorder causes and risk factors may include:^{1 2}

• Early interactions with family, friends and other children
• Individual temperament
• Learned stress coping skills
• Illness that changed the person’s physical appearance
• Experiencing abandonment or rejection as a child

Avoidant Personality Disorder Symptoms

Avoidant personality disorder symptoms develop from long-term patterns of feeling inadequate and socially rejected. People with avoidant personality disorder also suffer from an extreme sensitivity to what others may think of them. Avoidant personality disorder symptoms usually begin in early childhood with signs such as:^{1 2 4}

• Being easily and severely hurt when others criticize them
• Avoiding social gatherings out of fear of being rejected or not approved of
• Not getting involved in intimate relationships for fear of criticism
• Reluctant to engage in new activities out of fear of embarrassment
• Holding a low self-image and feeling inferior to others or unappealing
• Tendency to exaggerate problems by making them seem worse than they are

Avoidant personality disorder symptoms must be present from childhood through until adulthood in order to be diagnosed. Because children and youths undergo personality changes as part of development, it’s not always easy to recognize these social inhibition patterns early on. Over time, adults with avoidant personality disorder typically start to see their extreme symptoms ease due to more experience with social situations.

References

1. https://psychcentral.com/disorders/avoidant-personality-disorder-symptoms/
2. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000940.htm
3. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/prevalence/avoidant-personality-disorder.shtml
4. http://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/avoidant-personality-disorder