Group schema therapy for patients with cluster‐C personality disorders: A case study on avoidant personality disorder

This commentary seeks to highlight how social avoidance is portrayed in the six presented case‐reports from the perspective of self‐ and interpersonal functioning as well as stylistic trait features of negative affectivity (e.g., anxiousness and shame) and detachment (e.g., social withdrawal and emotional restriction). This approach to avoidance and social isolation will subsequently be generalized to a range of mental disorders where such features play a significant role. We propose that self and interpersonal functioning along with traits of negative affectivity and detachment may serve as a transdiagnostic framework for describing features of avoidance and social isolation across different treatment models, traditions, and disorders. We specifically assume that future developments of the promising treatment approaches presented in the current collection of case reports may benefit from such a “shared” framework for conceptualizing and treating self‐ and interpersonal problems related to avoidance and social isolation.

Section: Supporting Healthy Development Of Self-and Interpersonal Functioningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Understanding and Treatment Of Avoidance And Social Isolation Across Different Disordersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transdiagnostic conceptualization of social avoidance through the lens of personality functioning and traits

Bach

Eikenæs

2021

“…Again, this seems to suggest that problems with empathic interaction among persons with SAD pertain primarily to the experience of positive emotions such as joy, excitement, and laughter. Auyeung and Alden (2016) found a strong positive association between social anxiety and accuracy of empathic accuracy (social pain of others, who spoke in a video clip about being socially excluded) but only when participants had been experimentally manipulated to experience social threat before evaluating emotions in others. Auyeung and Alden (2016) suggest that although people with SAD have an impaired ability to identify and describe their own emotions, they may be highly adept at accurately recognizing the pain of social exclusion in others even if they may not be able to use this emotional knowledge to approach and respond to others in an adequate way.…”

Section: Effects Of Loneliness and Social Exclusionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Auyeung and Alden (2016) found a strong positive association between social anxiety and accuracy of empathic accuracy (social pain of others, who spoke in a video clip about being socially excluded) but only when participants had been experimentally manipulated to experience social threat before evaluating emotions in others. Auyeung and Alden (2016) suggest that although people with SAD have an impaired ability to identify and describe their own emotions, they may be highly adept at accurately recognizing the pain of social exclusion in others even if they may not be able to use this emotional knowledge to approach and respond to others in an adequate way. Overall, the literature suggests that people who struggle with social anxiety are particularly vulnerable to social threat and exclusion as these pertain to the relational self (Alden & Taylor, 2004).…”

Section: Effects Of Loneliness and Social Exclusionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Awakening to recognize the detrimental effects of social avoidance and the possibility of healing through reconnection

Simonsen¹,

2021

Background: Loneliness and social avoidance are widespread and serious mental health problems. People experiencing loneliness or social avoidance have difficulties maintaining ordinary life activities and often experience profound suffering. How do we as clinicians deal with or help people out of loneliness and social avoidance? Aims: In this paper, we introduce the issue on loneliness and social avoidance. We do so by first defining loneliness and social avoidance and outlining the impact on mental health issues of these phenomena. Next, we introduce the six papers central to the special issue along with some thoughts on how to understand therapy and treatment of social avoidance. Discussion: We discuss new directions and how to move beyond more conventional therapeutic approaches to these problems.

“…The effectiveness of ST reported in these studies included improved function and quality of life, reductions in personality disorder symptoms, and global severity of psychopathology. These findings have led to the growing use of GST worldwide to evaluate its effectiveness with other disorders: Avoidant personality disorder and social phobia (Baljé, Greeven, et al, 2016); Cluster C (Bachrach & Arntz, 2021); eating disorders (Simpson et al, 2010); mixed personality disorder (Skewes et al, 2015); complex trauma (Younan et al, 2017); and geriatric clients with personality disorders (Videler et al, 2014). Preliminary data suggest that GST is an effective treatment, which may be more cost‐effective and widely implementable than individual treatment.…”

Section: The Schema Therapy (St) Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Group schema therapy for patients with severe anxiety disorders

Straarup

Renneberg

Farrell³

et al. 2022

This article presents an adaptation of group schema therapy (GST) developed for patients with severe anxiety. An anonymized case presentation exemplifies the adaptation. GST was originally developed to treat clients with maladaptive personality traits but has been applied to a variety of disorders in recent years. For patients with severe anxiety, who have not responded to other treatments, GST may be a promising approach. The paper presents the GST model, the evidence supporting it, and its adaptation for the treatment of anxiety. The case presentation illustrates the therapeutic process and GST interventions. Finally, the clinical outcome and the implications for implementing GST are discussed.