It's All In Your Head
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Disclaimer: we are not medical professionals- we cannot give you a diagnosis or medication advice. Please speak to a health professional for this. If you are in crisis please contact one of the hotlines on our page.
Anonymous Asks:
mentalillnessmouse Said:
I’m not overwhelmingly familiar with social anxiety disorder, but I *have* AvPD, so here goes:
Social anxiety disorder is defined as “an anxiety disorder characterized by intense fear in social situations”, that, as a disorder, would cause considerable impairment in daily functioning and personal distress. It would surpass a feeling of discomfort in social situations, and involve physical distress symptoms (dizziness, nausea, palpitations, etc.), and can cause panic attacks. It is commonly associated with fears (realistic or otherwise) of being embarrassed or ridiculed in crowds. Avoidant personality disorder is defined as “a pervasive pattern of social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, extreme sensitivity to negative evaluation, and avoidance of social interaction”.
IT SEEMS TO ME that social anxiety disorder sufferers have more severe *symptoms* when exposed to social situations, and that AvPD sufferers have a larger spread of anxious behaviors. A specific section on Wikipedia actually states that many professionals question whether there is a difference at all, expressing, “generalized social phobia and avoidant personality disorder have similar diagnostic criteria and may share a similar causation, subjective experience, course, treatment, and identical underlying personality features, such as shyness”, and that they are “merely different conceptualizations of the same disorder.”
If anyone has any input on the difference between the two, feel free to share! (If anyone is curious about AvPD in particular, you are welcome to ask me)
- Olivia
Schizoid personality disorder is a psychiatric condition in which a person has a lifelong pattern of indifference to others and social isolation. The causes are unknown. This disorder may be related to schizophrenia and it shares many of the same risk factors.
However, schizoid personality disorder is not as disabling as schizophrenia. It does not cause hallucinations, delusions, or the complete disconnection from reality that occurs in untreated (or treatment-resistant) schizophrenia.
Symptoms
A person with this diagnosis:
· Appears aloof and detached
· Avoids social activities that involve emotional intimacy with other people
· Does not want or enjoy close relationships, even with family members
People with this disorder rarely seek treatment, and little is known about which treatments work. Talk therapy may not be effective, because people with schizoid personality disorder have difficulty relating well to others. However, one approach that appears to help is to put fewer demands for intimacy on the person. People with schizoid personality disorder often do better in relationships that do not focus on emotional closeness. They are better at handling relationships that focus only on recreation, work, or intellectual activities and expectations.
Expectations (prognosis)
Schizoid personality disorder is a long-term (chronic) illness that usually does not improve over time. Social isolation often prevents the person from seeking the help or support that might improve the outcome.
Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001918/
