Detached Personality in Teens

Detached Personality Disorder

• Detached personality disorder is more commonly known as avoidant personality disorder. Teens with this disorder have a pervasive feeling of being inadequate and shy. They become detached from life in order to minimize these overwhelming feelings. These adolescents are uncomfortable in social settings and become withdrawn and isolated. They are fearful and might attract ridicule, which tends to precipitate recurring isolation.

Causes

• Avoidant personality disorder is found in 1 percent to 2 percent of the U.S. population, yet little is known how prevalent it is in teens, according to a 2012 research paper in the "Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry." Little is known about what causes of avoidant personality disorder. The U.S. National Library of Medicine suggests that genes or possibly a change in the teenager̵7;s appearance due to illness might play a role in the disorder.

How it Affects Your Teen

• Teenagers with detached personality disorder have a difficult time forming relationships and are usually lonely. You might notice that your teen avoids social gatherings and after-school activities. He might even refuse to go to school. He exhibits signs of low self-esteem and is often referred to as shy and introverted. Any criticism is taken as a rejection and he is only comfortable with people he can completely trust.

What to Expect

• With therapy, your teen might be able to function relatively well. Treatment such as cognitive behavioral therapy, desensitization, skills training, assertiveness training and role playing might help him be less fearful of intimacy and social contact. Without intervention he might grow up to be an isolated individual with little or no contact with the outside world, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.