Avoidant Personality Disorder (APD)
Photo credit: Youtube
Hello Fanmily, it has been a while. I have had to withdraw for some time now but now am back. Thank you for your love and followership for the past 6 years.
A lot is happening around us, both positive and negative, and for this reason, we need to keep our mental health alive and positive.
I will be doing a series of write-ups on some issues affecting many in society that we may think are not serious but have had devastating consequences on many.
For the first part, I have chosen something very personal, that plagued me for long before I was able to overcome it. I never really thought it was an issue initially, but I came to a realization that this could be an issue and I have to deal with it. The fact that can write about it now shows that I have made significant progress in my journey in becoming me.
Avoidant Personality Disorder.
People with Avoidant personality disorder (APD) are afraid of being rejected, embarrassed, or criticized; most of the time they avoid situations that could result in any of the above. A lot of us have experienced it in the past, and some are still experiencing it or still struggling with it. The fear of being rejected, humiliated, criticized, or embarrassed has silenced a lot of intelligent, extraordinary, and creative people.
What if I don’t say or do it right, what if my grammar is wrong, what if this, what if that made many of us withdraw into our shells, not wanting our voices or opinions heard? This is a serious mental health issue that has led many to depression, psychological problems, and even suicide.
For many who don’t know, APD has many signs and symptoms and they include; fear of rejection, Inferiority complex/low self-esteem, feelings of inadequacy, hypersensitivity to negative criticism, extreme anxiety, and pervasive social inhibition. Anthropophobia is the fear of rejection and is a major sign of APD.
Image source: Google
As I mentioned earlier, this is personal for me. The fear of hearing no, made me silent in class, never asking questions, never voicing my opinions in meetings or any social gathering. Sometimes I have brilliant ideas but the fear of being shut down will make me keep it to myself. I was never good enough in my own eyes, always looking down on myself and never celebrating my wins. I avoid social gatherings as much as I can, and I rarely socialize, This led me to talk much to feel among others even though I stand out better than most of them.
What causes this deadly plague is a combination of factors, childhood experiences or trauma, environmental factors, or genetic factors. Mine I think was more of environmental and childhood experiences. I was very sickly growing up, and also the youngest in the house, so my opinion and voice were always been shut down or silenced. Growing up with this mindset affected my self-esteem and confidence. So the fear of being shut down most time led me to always keep my opinion to myself.
How can you deal with it?
The first step is recognizing or identifying the problem and the cause, which I was able to.
Other methods include;
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy that focuses on social skills; this involves acquiring social skills that involve group work, and group presentation to help improve self-confidence
- Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (talking therapy) Most time there are underlying conflicts that need to be addressed or resolved. Talking about the issue with an expert or a trusted friend can help solve it or ease the pain. see my post for Aug 13th, 2018.
I will continue next week, then I will delve more into how I was able to deal with my own issue.
Your feedback, comments, and contribution will be highly appreciated
Jewels in the Desert 