Avoidant Personality Disorder Man Being Rejected

Avoidant Personality Disorder (AvPD)

Avoidant Personality Disorder is a mental health disorder characterised by excessive social anxiety and inhibition, a fear of intimacy, strong feelings of inadequacy or inferiority and a strong reliance on using avoidance and safety behaviours to defend against perceived threats to the self.

Those affected by avoidant personaility disorder display very high sensitivity to being negatively evaluated by others believing that they are likely to be rejected due to a lack of social skills.

Paradoxically, AvPD sufferers usually have a deep seated desire for social connection but fear that they are inept at nurturing it.

Typically, sufferers tend to be highly selective and cautious about building social connections and will not commit unless they can be absolutely sure that they won’t be rejected.

This can often lead to relationships being abandoned pre-emptively because of the fear of inevitable rejection.

In a sense this is a case of “reject them before they reject you”.

Avoidant personality disorder affects men and woman in approximately equal numbers.

Woman with Avoidant Personality Disorder peeping our from behind bush

Avoidant Personality Disorder Symptoms

The main symptoms associated with Avoidant Personality Disorder are:

Pre-occupation with own shortcomings.
Reluctance to form relationships.
Inability to recognise their own positive traits.
A preference to be alone.
A sense of being unworthy.
Attachment related anxiety.
Feelings of abandonment.
Alcohol or drug abuse (as coping strategies)

Many of these symptoms can be linked to childhood avoidant attachment styles that have remained constant into adulthood.

Avoidant Personality Disorder diagnosis banner

Diagnosis of Avoidant Personality Disorder

Technically, only a psychiatrist can diagnose an Avoidant Personality Disorder, but in the UK general practitioners have tended to diagnose mental health problems by using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

The DSM lists specific symptoms against a range of disorders and whenever a person meets this criteria, they are said to be suffering from that disorder.

Diagnostic procedures do NOT make use of medical testing (for example blood tests) in order to produce a diagnosis, but rather is an opinion based on the observation of certain behaviours in the person who is suffering.

Because of this lack of verifiable medical testing, diagnosis remains a controversial subject, particularly within the psychological (non-medical) community.

However, in the UK access to support services is often contingent on receiving a diagnosis, so in this sense, a formal diagnosis may be useful.

Getting a Mental Health Diagnosis

Please be aware that Tranceform Psychology do not diagnose mental health disorders.

Our psychological counselling services do not require you to have been formally diagnosed but should you wish to obtain a formal mental health diagnosis, then please contact your GP who can arrange it for you.

CBT for Avoidant Personality Disorder

If you’re committed to overcoming your Avoidant Personality Disorder then we highly recommend following our Tranceformental CBT 10 session programme.

The Tranceformental programme is a highly successful & pragmatic course of CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) run over 10 sessions, that will teach you everything you need to know to understand the psychological aspects of your problem.

It can also help you to identify any unhelpful thinking styles or limiting beliefs that might be reinforcing the issue.

The programme is also available as an online self-help CBT programme. if you prefer not to consult a therapist directly.

CBT is an empirically supported approach used by mental health practitioners around the World.

Free Initial Consultations for Avoidant Personality Disorder

We offer all prospective clients a FREE initial consultation to discuss your Avoidant Personality Disorder prior to commencing any treatment plans.

The consultation is free and lasts around 50 minutes.

During this consultation we will discuss the various therapy options that are available to you and make a considered recommendation based on your individual personal circumstances.

Initial consultations are also available as part of our online therapy service.

At Tranceform Psychology we recognise the importance of the therapeutic relationship in helping people to bring about effective change, so its important to be able to ‘meet’ to discuss any therapy treatments BEFORE proceeding.

Our policy is to help people make a fully balanced & considered decision about undertaking work with us, including both the financial and personal implications.