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Avoidant personality disorder - Overview

Alternative Names

Personality disorder - avoidant

Definition of Avoidant personality disorder:

Avoidant personality disorder is a mental health condition in which a person has a lifelong pattern of feeling very shy, inadequate, and sensitive to rejection.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Personality disorders are lifelong patterns of behavior that cause problems with work and relationships.

About 1% of the population has avoidant personality disorder. Both males and females have the condition equally. The cause is unknown.

Reviewed last on: 11/23/2010
Linda Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Michelle Benger Merrill, MD, Instructor in Clinical Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Blais MA, Smallwood P, Groves JE, Rivas-Vazquez RA. Personality and personality disorders. In: Stern TA, Rosenbaum JF, Fava M, Biederman J, Rauch SL, eds. Massachusetts General Hospital Comprehensive Clinical Psychiatry. 1st ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2008;chap 39.

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