Avoidance Disorder

Have you ever had a coworker that hardly ever leaves their cubicle. Even for lunch or breaks? That seems to avoid interacting with others? This individual may suffer from avoidance disorder, also known as avoidant personality disorder or anxious personality disorder. This is a condition in which a person displays a pervasive pattern of symptoms that isolates the sufferer. These are social inhibition, sense of inferiority or inadequacy, sensitivity to negative feedback, and nervous avoidance of social interactions. People who suffer from this condition are not antisocial and may even crave interaction but are too anxious to follow through. They frequently describe themselves as lonely and anxious, as well as isolated and unwanted by others. This condition tends to set in young adulthood with childhood emotional neglect and teenage peer group rejection placing the sufferer at higher risk.