Avoidant Personality Disorder: Etiology, Diagnosis, Clinical Features, and Treatment

Avoidant Personality Disorder (AvPD) is a highly disabling yet underdiagnosed psychiatric condition marked by pervasive social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, and sensitivity to criticism. Often confused with social anxiety, AvPD produces life-long deficits in social, occupational, and emotional functioning. Despite a robust evidence base for genetic, neurobiological, and psychosocial etiologies, AvPD remains undertreated and misunderstood. This review provides an in-depth synthesis of AvPD’s history, epidemiology, etiology, clinical features, assessment, diagnosis, comorbidities, neurobiology, prognosis, and treatment, integrating recent research findings and highlighting both clinical and research challenges. Emphasis is placed on evidence-based psychotherapy, the potential of dimensional diagnostic models, and the urgent need for public and professional awareness to improve outcomes for those affected.