Kantor, a Harvard psychiatrist, provides the first guide to the treatment of the often neglected and misrecognized avoidant personality disorder, for both patients and clinicians. He explores the development of the disorder, its causes from various perspectives, diagnostic criteria, and various therapies, such as psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral, interpersonal, supportive, and other therapies, as well as ways to treat fear of criticism, low self-esteem, and sexual avoidance, and self-help tips for overcoming shyness and withdrawal. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)