Do you absolutely not like being around people, do you often feel inferior and are you sensitive to criticism or afraid of a negative judgement? Then you may have an avoidant personality disorder. We also call this disorder an avoidant personality disorder (OPS) or avoidance disorder.

Someone with an avoidant personality disorder suffers from a lot of uncertainty and fear in friendships and relationships. He or she hardly dares to open up in company and finds it difficult to show himself to others. The fear of doing or saying the wrong thing leads to a long wait. Sometimes this person is said to have an avoidance disorder. Only when someone with an avoidant personality disorder feels that he or she is accepted will he or she slowly loosen up.

A characteristic of an avoidant personality disorder is that you feel inferior. You think negatively about yourself and you constantly worry about what others will think of you. Getting feedback and criticism is difficult because you see every comment you get as confirmation that you are not nice, or boring, or stupid.

The name avoidant personality disorder refers to the fact that your social prefer to avoid situations. That is why it is sometimes referred to as an avoidance disorder. Fear of disapproval and feelings of inferiority are the cause of this. The name avoidant personality disorder is used in the DSM-5. People often speak of an avoidant personality disorder.

Cause avoidant personality disorder
The avoidant personality disorder usually manifests itself in young adults. The disorder is probably caused by a combination of hereditary predisposition and negative childhood experiences, for example, repeated rejection or being bullied.

Avoidant personality disorder symptoms
Characteristics of avoidant personality disorder are:

Avoid activities because they involve a lot of social contact
You worry about possible rejection.
You have difficulty maintaining friendships and relationships because you are afraid that you is considered weird
You have trouble making new contacts
You only want to interact with people if you are sure they like you
You worry that you will be rejected in social situations
You find it difficult to take on new activities
You have low self-esteem
Take the test
Want to know if you might have symptoms of a personality disorder? Our partner PsyQ has an online self-test.

This online self-test is not specifically aimed at avoidant personality disorder. The test gives you an indication of whether you may have a personality disorder. Please note: the result of the test is an indication and is not a diagnosis. Make an appointment with your doctor if you recognize yourself in the test result. He or she can refer you to a specialist practitioner.

Avoidant personality disorder treatment
Different types of psychotherapy are effective as avoidant personality disorder treatment. Avoidant personality disorders are preferably treated in a group. On the one hand, people with an avoidant personality disorder often find this scary, on the other hand, a group offers good opportunities to practice social situations.