AvPD and attachment disorder...

[Andy]

I know AvPD is a personality disorder, but is it also considered an attachment disorder? Through some reading I have done, the two disorders seem to cross paths the odd time. If so, why isn't it an exclusive disorder? Or are the two similar with other separate symptoms or characteristics?

 

[Daniel E.]

If you are looking for overlaps, why not continue to focus on social anxiety disorder?:

According to numerous studies, AvPD and social phobia (SP; generalized and specific subtype) overlap considerably. Indeed, some investigators have questioned whether the distinction between these disorders is justified.

Predictors of withdrawal: Possible precursors of avoidant personality disorder

Also:

It has been noted that as attachment disorders are by their very nature relational disorders, they do not fit comfortably into noslogies that characterize the disorder as centered on the person. Work by C.H. Zeanah indicates that atypical attachment-related behaviors may occur with one caregiver but not with another.

Reactive attachment disorder - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

BTW: http://forum.psychlinks.ca/relationships/27520-emotional-attachment-problem.html#post192881

 

[Andy]

Thanks for the reply Daniel!

Well before I was diagnosed with AvPD my psychiatrist had always said I had Social phobia. Then he changed that to AvPD and GAD. I do see a lot of similarities between those two though (social phobia and AvPD).

Not so sure about the attachment though. They don't seem to relate to much or do they? lol It confuses me. I do relate to most of the attachment styles though so I don't know. Maybe I should just avoid asking these questions. lol

 

[Daniel E.]

Also, see the diagram here on behavioral inhibition, etc:

http://forum.psychlinks.ca/shyness-...ocial-play-in-early-childhood.html#post191774

Not so sure about the attachment though. They don't seem to relate to much or do they?

And, of course, knowing more about the nature of a problem doesn't necessarily lead to a different solution.

For anything like social anxiety disorder, obviously some form of exposure therapy is critical, just like for other anxiety disorders. And it is true that sometimes trying to get more insight or doing more research can be a form of procrastination/avoidance (depending on what else one is doing or not doing). To put it another way, some people with OCD would rather have experimental brain surgery than do exposure therapy on a regular basis since the former can seem easier and even less risky (compared to imagined fears).

---------- Post added at 04:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:07 PM ----------

Similarly, if you look at the hikikomori phenomenon in Japan, there are different ways to explain it, but the treatment is the same (social reintegration). Incidentally, the book about it had a very interesting title: Shutting Out the Sun.

---------- Post added at 04:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:25 PM ----------

Not so sure about the attachment though.

If you are referring to attachment disorders, the only attachment disorder I have read about is reactive attachment disorder, which is an uncommon disorder predominantly affecting childhood:

RAD arises from a failure to form normal attachments to primary caregivers in early childhood...

Mainstream treatment and prevention programs that target RAD and other problematic early attachment behaviors are based on attachment theory and concentrate on increasing the responsiveness and sensitivity of the caregiver, or if that is not possible, placing the child with a different caregiver....

Several other disorders, such as conduct disorders, oppositional defiant disorder, anxiety disorders, post traumatic stress disorder and social phobia share many symptoms and are often comorbid with or confused with RAD, leading to over and under diagnosis.

Reactive attachment disorder - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Abnormalities of social relatedness have long been documented in children who have been abused, neglected or institutionalised, but there have been more recent efforts to define these behaviours within the psychiatric nosology. There has been an implicit assumption that the central deficit in RAD is in the attachment system, but this has caused controversy and may have blocked research. We propose that RAD is better construed within the framework of intersubjectivity, which has a central role in the development of core brain and social functions and may also have had an important role in the evolution of a key human characteristic—complex social functioning. This broader framework may potentially explain apparently diverse symptoms such as indiscriminate friendliness and negative or unpredictable reunion responses. Finally, we suggest that a change of name may be useful in progressing the field, but accept that this may be difficult until there is better agreement in the clinical and scientific communities about the core features and aetiology of this disorder.

Reactive attachment disorder—a theoretical model beyond attachment

 

[Andy]

Thanks Daniel. I never thought of research as a form of avoidance before. I can see that a little bit I guess.

Whelp I guess I'm a "parasite single" lol I've been called worse. lol

i don't know what attachment disorder, just in general I guess. That's all I have ever read when the two crossed paths was "attachment disorder".

 

[Daniel E.]

Whelp I guess I'm a "parasite single" lol I've been called worse. lol

BTW:

Groups of Japanese single women dine together regularly, and at some of the upscale restaurants, the tables of single women outnumber the tables of couples. They often travel together, too. The Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel offers them a popular Cinderella package, complete with a sumptuous room, and an invitation to the pool, sauna, and some aromatherapy. Some of the women drive luxury cars and buy themselves pricey presents for special occasions.

The Japanese sociologist who put these single women on the map, Masahiro Yamada, had a name for them. He called them "parasite singles." Of course, that's just another version of the myth that single people are selfish and self-centered...

Wedding Season 1: Newlyweds vs “Parasite Singles"

---------- Post added September 17th, 2011 at 01:10 AM ---------- Previous post was September 16th, 2011 at 05:46 PM ----------

From a PowerPoint presentation titled "Adult attachment theory: Does it relate to anxiety, compassion, kindness, and forgiveness?":

• Attachment theory is being creatively researched, and its implications for personal development and social harmony are empirically supported.
• Attachment theory and Buddhist psychology share important insights (which isn’t to say they are identical).
• It may be worthwhile to search the attachment literature for clues about differences between people who are secure, anxious, or avoidant and see if this maps onto the kinds of success or difficulty they have with meditation. This can be studied with a combination of self-report questionnaires, interviews, behavioral observations,and brain-imaging, as is being done with attachment.
• Attachment theory helps to explain why insecure people are less compassionate and kind than secure people: “Caregiving,” an innate behavioral system, is undermined by attachment insecurity.
• Can meditation “cure” insecure attachment or weaken some of the defensive strategies associated with it? How ‘social’ is meditation training, and does this matter? How does it work in the brain? We are conducting the Shamatha Project to find out.

And from the related research paper:

In other words, the more attachment-anxious participants were less capable of maintaining nonreactive, nonjudgmental stance toward their experience, and the more avoidant participants were less mindful in general, including being less able to notice their experiences and label them in words. These results are clearly supportive of the connections we have discussed in this commentary, although, being correlational in nature, the findings do not reveal which came first: attachment security/insecurity, mindfulness, or some other variable or variables that explain the association between security and mindfulness.

Social Foundations of the Capacity for Mindfulness: An Attachment Perspective

Similarly:

Whether generalised or specific, anxiety appears to be antagonistic to mindfulness; control over ones attentional resources may form part of the underlying explanation.

Predicting individual differences in mindfulness: The role of trait anxiety, attachment anxiety and attentional control

By developing mindfulness more explictly in your life, no matter how shy or avoidant you may feel, you can "grow through shyness" and find a life that is infinitely more satisfying and joyful...Anxiety and fear are not an identity, and they are not permanent.

The Mindful Path Through Shyness ... - Google Books

 

[Andy]

Thanks Daniel,

Well I have never been called selfish or self-centered before but I believe we all are a little bit. As the woman was suggesting about marriages. lol

My psychologist is now doing mindfulness with me (I think. It's happened twice and he said he was but that changes every time I see him) I shall see how it goes. So far so good.