People with avoidant personality disorder (AVPD) intensely fear rejection. This fear is so intense that it leads them to isolate rather than risk rejection.
This fear can also lead them not to try new things or to self-sabotage in order to control the outcome of something they attempt.
Like many personality disorders, avoidant personality disorder exists on a spectrum from mild to extreme.
The most common symptoms of avoidant personality disorder include:
- sensitivity to criticism
- fear of humiliation
- reluctance to make new friends
- extreme anxiety in social settings or relationships
- avoidance of jobs that involve working in teams
- shyness, awkwardness, and self-consciousness in social situations
- exaggeration and overthinking of potential problems that could arise in social situations
- reluctance to try new things
- poor self-image
Because of the isolating nature of this disorder, people with avoidant personality disorder often also experience depression and are at a higher risk for substance misuse.Even if they’re natural introverts, they still long for connection and camaraderie with friends and romantic partners.
Avoidant people aren’t asocial –– they genuinely want to be around others. They may be able to forge strong friendships with people who can convince the avoidant person of their affection.
This brief, time-saving questionnaire is designed for anyone who thinks they may be experiencing symptoms of avoidant personality disorder.
While the results of this quiz do not determine a diagnosis, the questions can help you decide whether you need additional help and professional support for your symptoms.
Only a licensed mental health professional can definitively diagnose any personality disorder. But this quiz allows you to explore tendencies, traits, and emotions that may comprise or be related to an avoidant personality disorder.
The more information you have about yourself when you meet with a mental health professional, the easier it is for the mental health professional to collaborate with you and best determine your diagnosis.
But you can use this test as a self-screening tool to see if you might benefit from speaking with a mental health professional. Only a trained medical professional, such as a doctor or mental health professional, can diagnose you with avoidant personality disorder.
Whether or not you receive a diagnosis, if many of the questions on this quiz resonate with you, you may find that a mental health professional can help you navigate your symptoms and create a path forward.
People with avoidant personality disorder want to have friends, but their intense fear of rejection often stops them from spending time with others.
For some people, avoidant personality disorder leads them to self-sabotage their own projects in order to avoid getting unexpected negative feedback.
People with avoidant personality disorder tend to have a low self-image and assume that everyone around them sees them in that same light.
The act of opening up to a therapist can be especially hard for someone experiencing avoidant personality disorder, as they may worry about being rejected or ridiculed by the therapist. But therapists and mental health professionals are trained to give you compassionate care.
If you’re willing to seek care, your openness can lead to your therapist suggesting helpful coping mechanisms that could potentially improve your quality of life.
How common is avoidant personality disorder?
Avoidant personality disorder affects around
What is the difference between ADHD and AVPD?
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is an executive functioning disorder that affects a person’s ability to focus, stay organized, and control their impulses.
Some preliminary evidence suggests that a higher percentage of people with ADHD also show signs of AVPD, but there isn’t substantial research to verify this connection.
Is AVPD a disability?
The American Disabilities Act(ADA) defines a disability as “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment.”
The ADA doesn’t specifically name all of the impairments that are covered. It’s possible for a personality disorder to constitute a legal disability. Still, a formal diagnosis and substantial evidence that the condition is sufficiently disruptive to the individual’s life are required.
How is avoidant personality disorder diagnosed?
A licensed mental health professional can diagnose avoidant personality disorder through a series of conversations with the affected individual to see if they meet the DSM’s criteria for the condition. To be diagnosed with a personality disorder, one has to have more than the traits and characteristics.
A person must be experiencing impairments in which the personality disorder negatively impacts how they function daily.
Personality disorders are also patterns and are diagnosed by looking at periods of behavior over time.