Case report demonstrates improvement in social anxiety and self-confidence after therapy using altruism techniques.
Anxious avoidant personality disorder is a cluster C personality disorder in adults, leading to significant difficulty in social functioning.The present study aims to explore and demonstrate the effectiveness of an altruism-based positive psychotherapy model in anxious avoidant personality disorder, targeting depressive symptoms, social anxiety, interpersonal communication, and overall self-confidence.A 34-year-old unmarried female came with complaints of social awkwardness, feelings of inferiority, avoidance of social situations, and low self-confidence since adolescence.Currently, symptoms were interfering with her occupational functioning, also leading to increased distress, and she came for psychological intervention.Her assessments confirmed the presence of a disorder along with mild features of depression.Review suggests that altruism has been effective in mental health recovery, while leading to increased positive affect and improved self-esteem.In the current case tailor-made altruism-based psychotherapy model was applied.The model included techniques from behavioral, cognitive, and volitional domains.The client underwent 12 therapy sessions, one per week, along with regular visits to the orphanage where the client provided material and emotional support to inmates.Following therapy, the client had reduced depression, social anxiety and could function well at her workplace with improved performance.Thus, altruism may be used as a psychotherapy technique in India to facilitate mental health recovery.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Rathi et al. (2026) studied this question.