Overview and Treatment of Teenage Avoidant Personality Disorder
Avoidant Personality Disorder is described as avoidance of social situations and relationships for fear of rejection. However, there is more to it than simply being bashful or socially abnormal. Avoidant personality disorder is a medical condition diagnosed in teens and adults based on evaluation and observation by a medical professional.
As they grow up, children go through a certain period of awkwardness and social insecurity. It is part of the natural order of things. For some individuals, however, this avoidant behavior takes over their life and keeps them from being successful in work, school, friendships, and relationships. Children transitioning from the younger grades to high school are particularly vulnerable to developing avoidant personality disorder.
It’s easy to remember the symptoms of Avoidant Personality Disorder by using AVOIDER.
- A – Avoids speaking to new people
- V – Views self as socially clumsy
- O – Occupied with being criticized or dismissed
- I – Inhibited in new situations
- D – Declines to engage with humans
- E – Embarrassed to try new things for fear of failure
- R – Refrains from forming personal connections
Social Impact of Avoidant Personality Disorder
People with Avoidant Personality Disorder struggle to maintain a normal life. They constantly worry about displeasing others, being criticized, or failing at tasks. The avoidant personality also pushes others away, rather than trying to form long-lasting relationships. Part of this is the fear of rejection. Another part of it is the worry that the avoidant person may say or do something embarrassing in front of the one they love. Meeting new people is especially hard for avoidant personalities because they hold preconceived ideas that the new person will automatically dislike them. They imagine themselves inferior to others, even if that is not true.
This low self-worth causes the avoidant person to decline invitations to events, break off intimate relationships, and distance himself from family and friends. They also have issues with school or work attendance because they are worried they will do poorly and be criticized by an authority figure.
Cause of Teenage Avoidant Personality Disorder
Avoidant personality disorder has no identifiable cause. Some experts feel it manifests because of overparenting or neglectful parenting. Others claim the encouragement of competition or putting one child’s accomplishments ahead of the others, can help the disease to develop. Some new studies suggest that the disease is based on heredity. If a parent suffers from the disorder, it is more likely that a child will also develop it. These studies are still in their infancy, however.
Symptoms of Teenage Avoidant Personality Disorder
Teens in Los Angeles with the avoidant condition are obsessed with their own perceived inadequacies and will avoid contact with others for fear of failure. When meeting with others in a group, the avoidant personality will study others carefully, waiting for the others to voice their displeasure or hatred. Even though this situation is not truly occurring, the person with an avoidant personality imagines that it will happen. The same holds true when developing intimate relationships.
Recognizable Tendencies of Avoidant Personality Disorder
- Sensitive to correction or criticism
- Self-imposed teenage isolation
- Extreme shyness
- Inability to have intimate relations
- Feelings of inadequacy
- Low self-esteem
- Questioning others’ motivations for contact
- Withholding feelings
- Self-harm
- Ending relationships before the other person does
- inability to make decisions
- observe others closely in fear of rejection
- Fear of speaking
- Feel like everybody else is better at everything
- Persistent substance misuse/reliance
Los Angeles Teen Treatment for Teenage Avoidant Personality Disorder:
Treatment of avoidant personality conditions may differ from person to person, depending on the severity of the disease and the willingness of the individual to accept help. The most effective treatment methods are therapy groups and individual therapy sessions. Family and friends should be involved in the group sessions if the physician feels it will be beneficial. The success of the treatment depends, in part, on the acceptance of the condition by family members. If a parent or loved one does not validate the illness, the afflicted individual will feel more isolated and criticized. This could cause the condition to worsen.
Our highly trained staff at Key Healthcare will know how to invite family members to therapy in a productive manner. We can offer the best possible help by providing substance abuse treatment for teens and by our teen mental health services to cure their various addictions. Other treatment options may include medications for anxiety and depression. Only a qualified therapist can determine the need for these medications.
Psychological Therapy:
Psychological conduct treatment is a type of group therapy used in avoidant personality disorder cases. During a treatment session, a trained therapist helps people recognize their perceptions of inadequacy and sensitivity.
Psychodynamic Therapy:
Psychodynamic therapy is another method of helping the individual realize their hidden fear of failure and self-imposed isolation. This one-on-one approach takes place in a psychologist’s office or treatment center. The psychologist will ask specific questions relating to childhood, relationships, and fears to find the root cause of the disorder.
Impact
The primary concern among individuals with avoidant personality disorder is fear of being rejected or double crossed. This symptom is so strong in people with the disorder that they avoid all contact with others, often to the point that they jeopardize school, work, and relationships.
Avoidant Personality Disorder Effects:
- Absence of actual closeness
- Fear of rejection
- Fear of unwanted attention
- Troubles speaking and explaining things
- Teen social isolation
- Low self-esteem
- Feelings of inadequacy
- In some cases, agoraphobia
- Serious depression
- Inability to share feelings
- Ending friendships or relationships often
- Nervousness or anxiety
Social Effects
Avoidant personality will limit social interactions with others. Impacts of avoidant behavior condition on one’s social activities include:
- Avoidance of get-togethers
- Powerlessness to start or look for relationships
- Segregation from others because of fear of being ousted from the group
- Failure to keep appointments and dates
- Frequent absences from school or work
- Avoiding sexual relations
How is an avoidant situation analyzed
If an individual suspects an avoidant disorder, contacting a teen treatment program is of utmost importance. At the preliminary consultation, a series of surveys and evaluations will take place to identify tendencies related to the disorder. If the examiner identifies avoidant personality disorder, a unique treatment plan will be developed , which may include teen iop.”
On the off chance that the provider finds no real justification for the avoidant behavior, they will refer the person to a therapist trained to deal with mental illness.
Is Avoidant Personality Disorder the Same as Social Anxiety?
Scientists and clinicians of Los Angeles used to believe that avoidant behavioral condition was related to social tension trouble. Although it can be hard to understand whether or not a person has social uneasiness or avoidant behavioral conditions. Regularly, a person with AVPD will come across tension and evasion in all fields of life.. However, a person with social tension can also truly have fears precise to particular circumstances, like public, talking or performing.
Summary
Avoidant Personality Disorder (AVPD) is a typical everyday problem in Los Angeles and many other cities. It can begin at an early age but is not diagnosed and treated until the late teen or early adult age. This is because a teens personality and psyche are still developing. Teen behaviors can be rebellious, withdrawn, or unusually wild. It is up to parents to be aware of excesses in these normal behaviors. Avoidant personality disorders can be diagnosed and treated by teen personality disorder treatment along with a qualified treatment facility employing psychologists and licensed therapists. Contact us today for a free and confidential consultation.
