Avoidant personality in social phobia and panic-agoraphobic disorder: a comparison.
BACKGROUND
Avoidant personality disorder (APD) is generally believed to be related to social phobia (SP), especially to generalized subtype. However, it has also been reported to be prevalent in panic disorder-agoraphobia (PDA). In the present investigation, we wished to explore whether APD in each of these disorders has discriminatory features.


METHODS
We studied 71 SP and 119 PDA patients with state-of-the-art clinical instruments based on DSM-III-R.


RESULTS
The pattern of social avoidance in SP was more pervasive: it was characterized by a higher level of interpersonal sensitivity and greater severity, associated with psychopathology as well as a higher rate of Axis I comorbidity. By contrast, avoidance of non-routine situations characterized APD occurring in the setting of PDA.


CONCLUSIONS
Differences in inclusion criteria and comorbidity rates, as well as overlap between different operational disorders, may have influenced our findings.


CONCLUSIONS
ADP is operationally broad, and 'avoidant' as a specifier of a personality type is insufficiently precise. ADP captures avoidant traits --which appear secondary to a core dimension such as interpersonal sensitivity--but is basically a heterogeneous condition influenced by the nature of comorbid Axis I disorders.
Perugi
G
G
Institute of Psychiatry, University of Pisa, Italy.
Nassini
S
S
Socci
C
C
Lenzi
M
M
Toni
C
C
Simonini
E
E
Akiskal
H S
HS
D000328:Adult; D000379:Agoraphobia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012919:Social Behavior