Family Physician: A Friend to Depend On

Posted on: 6 June 2016

Do you experience anxiety and nervousness prior to attending social events, because being around other people scares or intimidates you? Are these feelings so strong that you isolate yourself simply to avoid having to make conversation with people you do not know well? If you can relate to this, you might have a condition known as avoidant personality disorder. This condition affects around 1% of people and can make life extremely sad, lonely, and depressing. Here are several things you should understand about avoidant personality disorder.

The Symptoms

You may suffer from avoidant personality disorder if you experience the following symptoms around others or when you know you will be around other people:

• The thought of this makes you nervous, depressed, or scared.
• You feel inadequate and uncomfortable in social situations.
• You do not know what to say to people.
• You are afraid people will reject or criticize you.
• You stay home just to avoid being around people.
• You only feel comfortable around a few people you are really close to.
• You assume people are judging you or viewing you in ways that are negative.

All of these are common symptoms for people who suffer from avoidant personality disorder. The biggest problem with this disorder is that it can lead to isolation, and isolation is very bad for your health. Isolation can actually cause health problems and illnesses, and it can also lead to or worsen depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses.

The Cause

The exact cause of this disorder is unknown. But, one main reason people suffer from this condition could be due to a lack of self-esteem. The way you view yourself has a huge correlation with the way you feel that others view you. If you feel like you are worthless, incompetent, clumsy, weird, or useless, you will automatically think that other people view you in these ways too. Because of this, being around other people will make you nervous, edgy, and cautious, and staying away from people can be the easiest way to deal with this.

What You Can Do

Isolating yourself is not the solution to this problem. In fact, it will only cause the symptoms to worsen, and this will make you feel even more inferior and depressed. To solve this disorder, you will need to find a way to boost your self-esteem and confidence, and the best way to do this is by seeking professional help from a psychiatrist.

If you would like to get help for this type of problem, schedule an appointment with a psychiatrist, like one at Commonweath Affiliates PC, in your area.