For some people the thought of going to a party with your friends, having the opportunity to share your work to an audience, and meeting new people is exciting. But for others, just the thought of it stirs up anxiety. Avoidant personality disorder and social anxiety disorder are two mental health conditions that cause overwhelming anxiety when it comes to social situations and interactions. And, while on the surface they might sound exactly the same, fundamentally the two have stark differences that are important to understand.
In this guide, we look at those differences and how cognitive behavioral therapy for avoidant personality disorder can help you understand these patterns and find new ways of responding to them in everyday life.
What is Avoidant Personality Disorder?
Avoidant personality disorder (APD) is a mental health disorder that causes an intense fear and anxiety around social situations, which can be exacerbated by feelings of inadequacy and inferiority that often accompany APD. It is classified as a “cluster C” personality disorder due to the severe anxiety and fear that it causes.
Symptoms of APD
The key distinguishing sign of APD is isolation and complete avoidance of social interactions due to fears of rejection and criticism. This goes beyond just being shy or nervous; individuals with APD will often go far out of their way to avoid social interactions, even putting themselves into the line of danger at times. Other symptoms and signs include:
- Severe self-consciousness
- Extremely poor/negative self-image
- Avoidance and inability to form relationships
- Fear of intimacy
- Overly sensitive to criticism, often taking constructive criticism as hate and all feedback as negative
- Extreme anxiety and fear in/around social interactions
- Overwhelming fear of others perceptions
What is Social Anxiety Disorder?
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is categorized as an intense, overwhelming anxiety that comes from the fear of being negatively perceived in social situations. Most notably, this includes things like being rejected, judged poorly, and/or receiving a negative evaluation especially during performance, speeches, or around new people. Due to this, social anxiety often causes individuals to avoid social/performance situations or undergo severe distress when in social situations. Unfortunately, it is far more common than you may expect, as around 15 million American adults are believed to suffer from it, making it the second most common anxiety.
Symptoms of SAD
The symptoms of SAD can present emotionally, physically, and behaviorally. They include:
- Avoiding social situations or presentations
- Blushing
- Overheating and sweating
- Shaking
- Fear and concern around how others will judge you
- Fear of being rejected
- Rapid heart rate
- Finding it difficult to speak, or losing your train of thought – a “blank” mind
Social Anxiety Disorder vs Avoidant Personality Disorder: The Key Differences
Avoidant personality disorder and social anxiety disorder are extremely similar, which can make it difficult to distinguish the two. However, they are actually two distinct disorders. This overlap can make it difficult to diagnose which disorder individuals suffer from at times.
Some of the distinguishing characteristics of the two include:
- SAD typically begins in late childhood, while APD begins in early adulthood.
- SAD tends to cause physical symptoms like blushing and shaking, while APD typically does not.
- SAD is triggered in mostly specific social situations like presentations and public speaking. APD tends to arise in most social interactions.
- SAD causes individuals to avoid certain social situations that trigger them, whereas APD causes individuals to avoid all social situations and even forming any kind of relationship.
Co-Occurring APD and SAD
Despite APD and SAD being different, yet very similar, disorders you can suffer from both simultaneously. The occurrence of APD and SAD can cause the symptoms of both to become far more debilitating and can severely interfere with individuals’ lives. If you feel that you are experiencing intense, unwavering anxiety around social interactions that flares up in specific situations (like presentations), it is important that you seek immediate professional help.
Medications and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Avoidant Personality Disorder
Treating APD and SAD often looks the same due to the extreme similarities. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is believed to be the best treatment for both. In CBT, patients will unlearn negative, unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors and replace them with healthier, helpful ones. In this specific situation, CBT would likely be used to help unlearn avoidance behaviors, thoughts of inadequacy, and self-conscious thoughts to replace them with stronger, positive social skills and self-thought. Medications like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) can also be beneficial in treating APD and SAD; however, it is important to consult with a mental health professional first to determine the best plan of action.
Avoidant Personality Disorder Therapies at Embrace Now
Living with avoidant personality disorder can make everyday situations feel harder than they should be. Things like work, relationships, or even simple conversations can start to feel limited by fear of judgment or getting it wrong. Cognitive behavioral therapy for avoidant personality disorder gives people a way to look at those patterns more closely and start changing how they respond, one step at a time.
At Embrace Now, we work with people dealing with avoidance, anxiety, and related concerns like anxious avoidant personality disorder. We use avoidant personality disorder therapies that focus on practical change, not just talking through symptoms. For those who need more flexibility, online social anxiety therapy is also available. If you’re trying to make sense of what you’re experiencing or figure out the difference between social anxiety disorder vs avoidant personality disorder, reaching out can be a simple starting point. Contact Embrace Now for a confidential assessment and embrace the support that fits your life. If you’re ready, reach out to Embrace Now for a free consultation.
Reviewed by Dr. Sandra, Licensed Psychologist
Frequently Asked Questions
A1. You can’t diagnose yourself. Only a therapist or psychiatrist can do that. But if you always dodge social stuff because you’re scared of judgment, feel not good enough even when no one criticizes you, and hold back in relationships because you expect to get dumped, it’s worth talking to someone. This must be going on for years, not just a rough patch.
A2. Social anxiety is about specific situations like speaking in public or eating in front of people. Everywhere else, you’re fine. AVPD is different. You feel lousy about yourself all the time in pretty much every area of life. With social anxiety, you know your fear is kind of over the top. With AVPD, you really believe you’re just not likable.
A3. Both work about the same for social anxiety. Virtual is great because you don’t have to deal with the office, parking, or people seeing you walk into a therapy clinic. You just log on from your own space. But if you want more of a real-life connection or need to practice social stuff face-to-face, in-person might be better.
A4. Start real small. Say hi to a cashier or send a short text, then build up from there. Pay attention to what you were afraid would happen versus what happened. It’s usually way less bad than you thought. If you’re helping someone else, just listen without judging and point out when they do something social that works.
A5. You can’t fully cure it, but you can get it to where it doesn’t run your life anymore. Cognitive behavioral therapy for avoidant personality disorder helps you change the way you think about yourself and slowly do more social stuff without panicking. The goal isn’t perfection. It’s just feeling less awful and being able to do more than you used to.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Avoidant Personality Disorder – Free Consultation for Social Anxiety and Avoidance
Schedule a free 10 minute consultation call with a CBT therapist for avoidant personality disorder, Dr. Sandra Ostroff.
Dr. Sandra Ostroff specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for avoidant personality disorder, social anxiety, low self-esteem, and related conditions.