# Avoidant personality disorder

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Personality disorder

Medical condition

Avoidant personality disorder Other names Anxious personality disorder Social inhibition is common in AvPD Specialty Psychiatry, clinical psychology Symptoms Social anxiety, social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy and inferiority, withdrawal Complications Substance use disorders, self-harm, Major Depressive Disorder Duration Chronic / Lifelong Risk factors Childhood emotional neglect, genetic predisposition, repeated peer rejection in childhood, repeated childhood bullying Differential diagnosis Social anxiety disorder, schizoid personality disorder, schizotypal personality disorder, autism spectrum disorder Treatment Psychotherapy

Personality disorders DSM-5 classification Cluster A (odd or eccentric) Paranoid Schizoid Schizotypal Cluster B (dramatic, emotional, or erratic) Antisocial Borderline Histrionic Narcissistic Cluster C (anxious or fearful) Avoidant Dependent Obsessive–compulsive Other personality disorders Other specified Unspecified Personality change due to another medical condition ICD-11 classification Personality disorder Mild Moderate Severe Severity unspecified Prominent personality traits or patterns Negative affectivity Detachment Dissociality Disinhibition Anankastia Borderline pattern Others Cyclothymic Depressive Passive–aggressive Masochistic Sadistic Psychopathy Haltlose Immature Post-traumatic organic v t e

**Avoidant personality disorder** (**AvPD**), or **anxious personality disorder**, is a [personality disorder](/source/Personality_disorder) characterized by excessive [social anxiety](/source/Social_anxiety) and [inhibition](/source/Social_inhibition), [fear of intimacy](/source/Fear_of_intimacy) (despite an intense desire for it), severe feelings of inadequacy and [inferiority](/source/Inferiority_complex), and an overreliance on [avoidance of feared stimuli](/source/Avoidance_coping) (e.g., self-imposed [social isolation](/source/Social_isolation)) as a maladaptive [coping method](/source/Coping_(psychology)).[1] Those affected typically display a pattern of [extreme sensitivity to negative evaluation](/source/Fear_of_negative_evaluation) and [rejection](/source/Social_rejection), a belief that one is socially inept or personally unappealing to others, and avoidance of [social interaction](/source/Interpersonal_relationship) despite a strong desire for it.[2] It appears to affect an approximately equal number of men and women.[2]

People with AvPD often avoid social interaction for fear of being [ridiculed](/source/Mockery), [humiliated](/source/Humiliation), [rejected](/source/Social_rejection), or disliked. They typically avoid becoming involved with others unless they are certain they will not be rejected, and may also pre-emptively abandon relationships due to [fear](/source/Fear) of a real or imagined risk of being rejected by the other party.[3]

[Childhood emotional neglect](/source/Child_neglect) (in particular, the rejection of a [child](/source/Child) by one or both [parents](/source/Parent)) and [peer group](/source/Peer_group) rejection are associated with an increased risk for its development. However, it is possible for AvPD to occur without any history of [abuse](/source/Abuse) or [neglect](/source/Neglect).[4]

## Signs and symptoms

Avoidant individuals are preoccupied with their own shortcomings and form relationships with others only if they believe they will not be rejected. They often view themselves with contempt, while showing a decreased ability to identify traits within themselves that are generally considered as positive within their societies.[5] Extreme [shyness](/source/Shyness) or [anxiety](/source/Social_anxiety) may occur in social situations.[2]

Some with this disorder fantasize about idealized, accepting, and affectionate relationships because of their desire to belong. They often feel themselves unworthy of the relationships they desire, and shame themselves from ever attempting to begin them. If they do manage to form relationships, it is also common for them to pre-emptively abandon them out of fear of the relationship failing.[3]

Individuals with the disorder tend to describe themselves as uneasy, anxious, lonely, unwanted and isolated from others.[6] They often choose jobs of isolation in which they do not have to interact with others regularly.[7] Avoidant individuals also avoid performing activities in public spaces for fear of embarrassing themselves in front of others.

## Causes

Causes of AvPD are not clearly defined,[8] but appear to be influenced by a combination of social, genetic and psychological factors. The disorder may be related to [temperamental](/source/Temperament) factors that are inherited.[9][10]

Specifically, various anxiety disorders in childhood and adolescence have been associated with a temperament characterized by behavioral inhibition, including features of being shy, fearful and withdrawn in new situations.[11] These inherited characteristics may give an individual a [genetic predisposition](/source/Genetic_predisposition) towards AvPD.[12]

Childhood emotional neglect[13][14][15][16] and peer group rejection[17] are both associated with an increased risk for the development of AvPD.[9] Some researchers believe a combination of [high-sensory-processing sensitivity](/source/Sensory_processing_sensitivity) coupled with adverse childhood experiences may heighten the risk of an individual developing AvPD.[18]

## Diagnosis

### Classification

[Classification of personality disorders](/source/Classification_of_personality_disorders) differs significantly between the two most prominent frameworks for [classification of mental disorders](/source/Classification_of_mental_disorders), namely: the *[Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders](/source/Diagnostic_and_Statistical_Manual_of_Mental_Disorders)* and the [International Classification of Diseases](/source/International_Classification_of_Diseases), the most recent editions of which are the [DSM-5-TR](/source/DSM-5-TR) and [ICD-11](/source/ICD-11), respectively. While personality disorders, including AvPD, are diagnosed as separate entities in the DSM-5; in the [ICD-11 classification of personality disorders](/source/ICD-11_classification_of_personality_disorders), they are assessed in terms of severity levels, with trait and pattern specifiers serving to characterize the particular style of pathology.[19] There is also a hybrid model,[20] called the *[Alternative DSM-5 model for personality disorders](/source/Alternative_DSM-5_model_for_personality_disorders)* (AMPD), which defines AvPD and five other PDs through disorder-specific combinations of pathological traits and areas of overall impairment.[19]

#### DSM

Further information: [Classification of personality disorders § DSM-5](/source/Classification_of_personality_disorders#DSM-5), and [Alternative DSM-5 model for personality disorders](/source/Alternative_DSM-5_model_for_personality_disorders)

The *DSM-5* includes two distinct diagnostic models for personality disorder (PD). Its main body (Section II) retains a traditional, categorical model of 10 putatively distinct PDs,[19] grouped into three clusters. Placed within [cluster C](/source/Cluster_C),[21] AvPD is described as "[a] pervasive pattern of social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, and hypersensitivity to negative evaluation", [operationalized](/source/Operationalized) through seven criteria, at least four of which must be met.[2] This system of classification has several limitations, such as each category capturing a [heterogeneous](/source/Heterogeneous) set of presentations.[20]

With the intent to mitigate such issues and to create a system of classification with better empirical support, the AMPD was created.[20] Contained within [Section III](/source/DSM-5#Section_III:_Emerging_measures_and_models) of both the DSM-5 and [DSM-5-TR](/source/DSM-5-TR) as an alternative to the categorical model,[19] it defines six specific personality disorders – one of them being AvPD[22] – in terms of a description of the disorder; the characteristic manner in which the disorder impacts personality functioning, i.e. identity, self-direction, empathy and intimacy (criterion A); as well as a listing and description of the pathological [personality traits](/source/Personality_traits) associated with the disorder (criterion B).[23]

At least two of the elements of personality functioning must have a "moderate or greater impairment",[24] manifesting in, for example, the following being true for the identity domain: "[l]ow self-esteem associated with self-appraisal as socially inept, personally unappealing, or inferior; excessive feelings of shame".[19] The AMPD lists the following four pathological traits: [anxiousness](/source/Anxiousness), [withdrawal](/source/Social_withdrawal), [anhedonia](/source/Anhedonia), and intimacy avoidance;[25] each of these is followed by a description of how the trait manifests in AvPD,[24] such as "reticence in social situations; avoidance of social contacts and activity; [and] lack of initiation of social contact" in the case of withdrawal.[19] A diagnosis requires that three of these traits are present in the subject, with anxiousness being required.[24] Furthermore, additional traits can be added as specifiers to the diagnosis.[19] Further requirements, for example relating to [differential diagnosis](/source/Differential_diagnosis), are embodied in criteria C–G.[20]

#### ICD

Further information: [ICD-11 classification of personality disorders](/source/ICD-11_classification_of_personality_disorders) and [Classification of personality disorders § ICD-10](/source/Classification_of_personality_disorders#ICD-10)

The [World Health Organization](/source/World_Health_Organization)'s [ICD-11](/source/ICD-11) has replaced the categorical classification of personality disorders in the [ICD-10](/source/ICD-10), in which *anxious (avoidant) personality disorder* ([F60.6](https://icd.who.int/browse10/2019/en#/F60.6)) was included as a distinct category,[1] with a [dimensional model](/source/Dimensional_models_of_personality_disorders) containing a unified *personality disorder* ([6D10](https://icd.who.int/browse/latest-release/mms/en#941859884)) with severity specifiers, along with specifiers for *[prominent personality traits or patterns](/source/Prominent_personality_traits_or_patterns)* ([6D11](https://icd.who.int/browse/latest-release/mms/en#1128733473)).[26] Severity is assessed based on the pervasiveness of impairment in several areas of functioning, as well as on the level of distress and harm caused by the disorder,[27] while trait and pattern specifiers are used for recording the manner in which the disturbance is manifested.[7]

This ICD-11 case profile could belong to a person eligible for ICD-10 avoidant and [dependent](/source/Dependent_personality_disorder) PD diagnoses.[26]

Anxious (avoidant) personality disorder has been found to be consistently associated with the ICD-11 trait domains *[Negative Affectivity](/source/Negative_affectivity_in_personality_disorder_or_personality_difficulty)* ([6D11.0](https://icd.who.int/browse/latest-release/mms/en#953246526)) and *[Detachment](/source/Detachment_in_personality_disorder_or_personality_difficulty)* ([6D11.1](https://icd.who.int/browse/latest-release/mms/en#919081088)),[28] reflecting anxiousness, low self-esteem, and social withdrawal.[28][7] "The complete Avoidant PD pattern of Negative Affectivity and Detachment is overall consistent with the description of Avoidant PD patients as being both fearful and emotionally inhibited".[7] Many studies also report a link to *[Anankastia](/source/Anankastia_in_personality_disorder_or_personality_difficulty)* ([6D11.4](https://icd.who.int/browse/latest-release/mms/en#848330288)), likely due to features such as emotional restraint and excessive caution aimed at avoiding negative outcomes.[28]

### Differential diagnosis

There is debate as to whether avoidant personality disorder (AvPD) is distinct from [social anxiety disorder](/source/Social_anxiety_disorder). Both have similar diagnostic criteria and may share a similar causation, subjective experience, course, treatment and identical underlying personality features, such as shyness.[29][30][31] In contrast to social anxiety disorder, a diagnosis of avoidant personality disorder (AvPD) also requires that the [general criteria for a personality disorder](/source/Personality_disorder#DSM-5_general_criteria) be met.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

It is contended by some that they are merely different conceptualizations of the same disorder, where avoidant personality disorder may represent the more severe form.[32][33] In particular, those with AvPD experience not only more severe social phobia symptoms, but are also more depressed and more functionally impaired than patients with generalized social phobia alone.[33] But they show no differences in social skills or performance on an impromptu speech.[34] Another difference is that social phobia is the *fear of social circumstances* whereas AvPD is better described as an *aversion to intimacy* in relationships.[35]

Another personality disorder diagnosis could be more suitable for a presentation considered for a diagnosis of AvPD; however, these can also be diagnosed alongside AvPD, provided that the requirements for diagnosis are met for all of them (see [§ Comorbidity](#Comorbidity)). Specific features may indicate which diagnosis of several is the most suitable. [Social isolation](/source/Social_isolation) is also a prominent feature of [schizoid](/source/Schizoid_personality_disorder) and [schizotypal](/source/Schizotypal_personality_disorder) PDs; the significant difference between these and AvPD is that people with the former disorders may not experience discomfort stemming from it, whereas people with AvPD are likely to suffer from this isolation. Moreover, there are differences in what gives rise to the "feelings of inadequacy, hypersensitivity to criticism, and [...] need for reassurance" that AvPD shares with [dependent personality disorder](/source/Dependent_personality_disorder); while people with the former disorder worry excessively about being rejected and humiliated, those with the latter disorder experience a need of nurturance. Lastly, "reluctance to confide in others", which is also a feature of paranoid PD, "is attributable more to a fear of being embarrassed or being found inadequate than to a fear of others' malicious intent", as in the latter disorder.[2]

There is also an overlap between avoidant and schizoid personality traits and AvPD may have a relationship to the [schizophrenia spectrum](/source/Schizophrenia_spectrum).[36] Avoidant personality disorder must also be differentiated from [autism spectrum disorder](/source/Autism_spectrum_disorder).[37]

### Subtypes

#### Millon's subtypes

Psychologist [Theodore Millon](/source/Theodore_Millon) notes that because most patients present a mixed picture of symptoms, their personality disorder tends to be a blend of a major personality disorder type with one or more secondary personality disorder types. He identified four adult subtypes of avoidant personality disorder.[38][39]

Subtype Features Traits Phobic avoidant Including dependent features General apprehensiveness displaced with avoidable tangible precipitant; qualms and disquietude symbolized by a repugnant and specific dreadful object or circumstances. Conflicted avoidant Including negativistic features Internal discord and dissension; fears dependence; unsettled; unreconciled within self; hesitating, confused, tormented, paroxysmic, embittered; unresolvable angst. Hypersensitive avoidant Including paranoid features Intensely wary and suspicious; alternately panicky, terrified, edgy, and timorous, then thin-skinned, high-strung, petulant, and prickly. Self-deserting avoidant Including depressive features Blocks or fragments self-awareness; discards painful images and memories; casts away untenable thoughts and impulses; possibly suicidal.[39]

#### Others

In 1993, [Lynn E. Alden](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lynn_E._Alden&action=edit&redlink=1) and [Martha J. Capreol](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Martha_J._Capreol&action=edit&redlink=1) proposed two other subtypes of avoidant personality disorder:[40]

Subtype Characteristics Cold-avoidant Characterised by an inability to experience and express positive emotion towards others. Exploitable-avoidant Characterised by an inability to express anger towards others or to resist coercion from others. May be at risk for abuse by others.

## Treatment

See also: [List of investigational social anxiety disorder drugs](/source/List_of_investigational_social_anxiety_disorder_drugs)

Treatment of avoidant personality disorder has been researched only to a minor extent,[41] with a significant portion of the research being derived from studies of social anxiety disorder.[41][25] For AvPD, treatment can employ various techniques, such as [social skills training](/source/Social_skills_training), [psychotherapy](/source/Psychotherapy), [cognitive therapy](/source/Cognitive_therapy), and exposure treatment to gradually increase social contacts, [group therapy](/source/Group_therapy) for practicing social skills.[41][25] While the use of pharmacotherapy for treatment of AvPD is not known to have been researched, it can be used for treating comorbid conditions and has proven to be useful in treating social anxiety disorder.[41]

A key issue in treatment is gaining and keeping the patient's trust since people with an avoidant personality disorder will often start to avoid treatment sessions if they distrust the therapist or fear rejection. The primary purpose of both individual therapy and social skills group training is for individuals with an avoidant personality disorder to begin challenging their exaggerated negative beliefs about themselves.[42] Significant improvement in the symptoms of personality disorders is possible, with the help of treatment and individual effort.[43]

## Prognosis

Having a personality disorder is usually chronic, and has long-lasting mental conditions.[*[clarification needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify)*][*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] An avoidant personality disorder may not improve with time without treatment. Given that it is a poorly studied personality disorder and in light of prevalence rates, societal costs, and the current state of research, AvPD qualifies as a neglected disorder.[25]

## Epidemiology

Reported to be at around 1.5%–2.5%, the [prevalence](/source/Prevalence) of AvPD has also been estimated to be both lower and significantly higher than that.[41] In one study, it was seen in 14.7% of psychiatric outpatients,[44] and its prevalence in clinical settings has been estimated between 5.1 and 55.4%.[45]: 77 It appears to occur with equal frequency in males and females.[2] Some studies indicate a higher prevalence among women.[41]

### Comorbidity

AvPD is reported to be especially prevalent in people with [anxiety disorders](/source/Anxiety_disorder), although estimates of [comorbidity](/source/Comorbidity) vary widely due to differences in (among others) diagnostic instruments. Research suggests that approximately 10–50% of people who have [panic disorder](/source/Panic_disorder) with [agoraphobia](/source/Agoraphobia) have avoidant personality disorder, as well as about 20–40% of people who have social anxiety disorder. In addition to this, AvPD is more prevalent in people who have comorbid social anxiety disorder and generalised anxiety disorder than in those who have only one of the aforementioned conditions.[46] [Substance use disorders](/source/Substance_use_disorder) are also common in individuals with AvPD[41]—particularly in regard to [alcohol](/source/Alcohol_(drug)), [benzodiazepines](/source/Benzodiazepine), and [opioids](/source/Opioid)[47]—and may significantly affect a patient's prognosis.[48][49]

Some studies report prevalence rates of up to 45% among people with generalized anxiety disorder and up to 56% of those with [obsessive–compulsive disorder](/source/Obsessive%E2%80%93compulsive_disorder).[50] [Post-traumatic stress disorder](/source/Post-traumatic_stress_disorder) and [dependent personality disorder](/source/Dependent_personality_disorder) are also commonly comorbid with avoidant personality disorder.[51][2] People suffering from AvPD are prone to [self-loathing](/source/Self-hatred) and, in certain cases, [self-harm](/source/Self-harm).[*[medical citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Identifying_reliable_sources_(medicine))*]

Earlier theorists proposed a personality disorder with a combination of features from [borderline personality disorder](/source/Borderline_personality_disorder) (BPD) and avoidant personality disorder, called "avoidant-borderline mixed personality" (AvPD/BPD).[52]

## History

The avoidant personality has been described in several sources as far back as the early 1900s, although it was not so named for some time. [Swiss](/source/Switzerland) psychiatrist [Eugen Bleuler](/source/Eugen_Bleuler) described patients who exhibited signs of avoidant personality disorder in his 1911 work *Dementia Praecox: Or the Group of Schizophrenias*.[53] Avoidant and [schizoid](/source/Schizoid_personality_disorder) patterns were frequently confused or referred to synonymously until [Kretschmer](/source/Ernst_Kretschmer) (1921),[54] in providing the first relatively complete description, developed a distinction.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

## See also

- [Psychology portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Psychology)

- [Attachment theory](/source/Attachment_theory)

- [Avoidance coping](/source/Avoidance_coping)

- [Counterphobic attitude](/source/Counterphobic_attitude)

- [Experiential avoidance](/source/Experiential_avoidance)

- [Inferiority complex](/source/Inferiority_complex)

- [Sensory processing sensitivity](/source/Sensory_processing_sensitivity)

**Social:**

- [Hermit](/source/Hermit)

- *[Hikikomori](/source/Hikikomori)*

- [Loner](/source/Loner)

- [Recluse](/source/Recluse)

- [Solitude](/source/Solitude)

- *[Taijin kyofusho](/source/Taijin_kyofusho)*

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1. **[^](#cite_ref-millon1995_53-0)** Millon T, Martinez A (1995). ["Avoidant Personality Disorder"](https://books.google.com/books?id=9AqPs9ootqoC&pg=PA218). In Livesley WJ (ed.). [*The DSM-IV Personality Disorders*](https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780898622577/page/218). [Guilford Press](/source/Guilford_Press). pp. [218](https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780898622577/page/218). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-89862-257-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-89862-257-7).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-54)** [Kretschmer E](/source/Ernst_Kretschmer) (1921). *Körperbau und Charakter*. J. Springer.

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Avoidant personality disorder](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Avoidant_personality_disorder).

- [Alternative DSM-5 Model for Personality Disorders](https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/pdf/10.1176/appi.focus.11.2.189) (with AMPD definition of AvPD)

Classification D ICD-11: 6D10 ICD-10: F60.6 ICD-9-CM: 301.82 MeSH: D010554 External resources MedlinePlus: 000940 eMedicine: ped/189

v t e Personality disorder (classification) General classifications Dimensional Categorical Multi-axial Prototypal Relational Structural ICD classifications ICD-10 Schizotypal Schizotypal Specific Anankastic Anxious (avoidant) Dependent Dissocial Emotionally unstable Histrionic Paranoid Schizoid Other Eccentric Haltlose Immature Narcissistic Passive–aggressive Psychoneurotic Organic Organic Unspecified Unspecified ICD-11 Personality disorder Mild Moderate Severe Severity unspecified Prominent personality traits or patterns Negative affectivity Detachment Dissociality Disinhibition Anankastia Borderline pattern DSM classifications DSM-III-R only Sadistic Self-defeating (masochistic) DSM-IV only Personality disorder not otherwise specified Appendix B (proposed) Depressive Negativistic (passive–aggressive) DSM-5 Cluster A (odd) Paranoid Schizoid Schizotypal Cluster B (dramatic) Antisocial Borderline Histrionic Narcissistic Cluster C (anxious) Avoidant Dependent Obsessive-compulsive Other Other specified Unspecified Personality change due to another medical condition Alternative DSM-5 Model for Personality Disorders Specific Antisocial Avoidant Borderline Narcissistic Obsessive-compulsive Schizotypal Other Trait Specified

v t e Autism Main Causes Diagnosis Epidemiology Epigenetics Heritability History Memory Pathophysiology Sex and gender Societal and cultural aspects Therapies Motor coordination Diagnoses Pervasive developmental disorder Autistic disorder Asperger syndrome Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified Childhood disintegrative disorder High-functioning autism Associated conditions and phenomena Alexithymia Anxiety LGBTQ identities Catatonia Masking Echolalia Echopraxia Emotional dysregulation Hyperlexia Infodumping Late talker Monotropism Nonspeaking Pathological demand avoidance Pronoun reversal Reading differences Savant syndrome Special interests Stimming Sensory overload Suicide among people with autism Comorbid conditions Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder Avoidant personality disorder Anxiety disorder obsessive–compulsive disorder Bipolar disorder Developmental coordination disorder Developmental verbal dyspraxia Epilepsy Gender dysphoria Global developmental delay Intellectual disability Major depressive disorder Schizoid personality disorder Sensory processing disorder Sleep disorder Suicide Tinnitus Associated syndromes 16p11.2 deletion syndrome 16p11.2 duplication syndrome 17q12 microdeletion syndrome 22q13 deletion syndrome Angelman syndrome Beck–Fahrner syndrome CACNA1C-related disorders CHARGE syndrome Cohen syndrome Cornelia de Lange syndrome DiGeorge syndrome Down syndrome Dup15q Goldenhar syndrome Fetal valproate spectrum disorder Fragile X syndrome Jacobsen syndrome Malan syndrome MECP2 duplication syndrome Neurofibromatosis type I Noonan syndrome Multiple hamartoma syndrome O'Donnell-Luria–Rodan syndrome Pitt–Hopkins syndrome Rett syndrome Skraban–Deardorff syndrome Smith–Lemli–Opitz syndrome Sotos syndrome SYNGAP1-related intellectual disability Tatton-Brown–Rahman syndrome Timothy syndrome TRPM3-related neurodevelopmental disorder Tuberous sclerosis Williams syndrome Related issues Ableism Autistic rights movement Critical autism studies Discrimination Double empathy problem Employment Military service and conscription Multiple complex developmental disorder Neurodiversity Neuroqueer theory Peripheral neuropathy Reduced affect display Sanism Self-harm Suicidal ideation TEACCH program Twice exceptional Violence and autism Controversies Facilitated communication Lancet MMR autism fraud MMR vaccine Rapid prompting method Thiomersal Chelation Combating Autism Act Autistic supremacism Diagnostic scales Autism Diagnostic Interview Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule Childhood Autism Rating Scale Gilliam Asperger's disorder scale Screening scales Autism-spectrum quotient Childhood Autism Spectrum Test Ritvo Autism and Asperger Diagnostic Scale Lists Autism-related topics Fictional characters Schools Accommodations Autism-friendly Curb cut effect Inclusive design Neurodiversity and labor rights Neuroinclusive design Sensory friendly Supported employment Universal design Category

Authority control databases National United States Israel Other Yale LUX

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Avoidant personality disorder](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avoidant_personality_disorder) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avoidant_personality_disorder?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.