No offense, but APD, to me, is just saying put more time into yourself than you put in worldly matters.. I would say i have APD to because of the main symptoms or causes of it. Mostly isolated all my life, family was never around and friends were always hit or miss. So i grew to avoid certain situations or people. Im still going through it now.. What i started to do, i found a notebook and began writing. Asking myself questions and answering them on paper. than just thinking of the answer.. Cope to yourself asking what you could do different. Why have you done certain things, and what makes you feel a certain way. Review them and try and change them.. Hope i helped out. Remember most of our issues are internal changes and we can overcome them. Just have to put 150% of mind power into the process.

WTG, Spike2013!

True- most 'disorders' are the result of dysfunction growing up. Find the dysfunction, gain some insight, and change the behavior.

Poof! DIS-order DIS-appears! : D

I have APD too , I understand exactly where you are coming from xx

Ha and now I have replied to my own post , silly old me !!

I lost my mum at aged 9 , she was 39, I was made to live at my aunties , who was never there so spent lot of time on my own, I had a really bad step mother bring me up, dad married a year after mum died, i think only for someone to look after me and and 2 brothers, my eldest brother got kicked out when he was 17 and i got kicked out when i was 16, i got in a abusive relationship, then he left me after 16 years, my dad died, my eldest bro died from a motorbike accident someone set fire to my house, and my son has been beat up twice , badly, so i think all this has triggered my AVP over the years. I am self employed, Avon Lady, and finding it all to stressful atm

One idea is to work on anxiety. Avoidant PD is behavior to avoid pain and anxiety by avoiding people, places, things that could create pain and anxiety. Then, the more you avoid, the less you can handle upselling things. So that's a way to start. A therapist can also help.

I'm agoraphobic so have difficulty going out :(

Two previous therapists have said I have AvPD, even though I didn't get an official diagnosis. My current one says it seems likely, but it's only been like 3 sessions and she hasn't made the conclusion yet. I actually used to be outgoing and a class clown when I was in elementary school, but I kept getting bullied and rejected in school, so by the time I was in high school I developed this avoidant personality. Basically I would play the silent loner and show no interest in socializing with anyone. It was a defense mechanism to avoid getting rejected and ridiculed. When you have AvPD you are hypervigilant about that stuff, so social situations are confusing and stressful. Now I am not as avoidant as I used to be and I am trying to force myself into situations where I can meet girls, but still it's really awkward and uncomfortable.

Mominterrupted, I was actually responding to this post. I just replied to your other posts on that other thread there.

Here is a page with a lot of into on avoidant personality disorder: http://ivy_league0.tripod.com/rhyme_of_the_ancient_wanderer/id45.html

I was told by another psychiatrist recently (they all have different diagnoses) - that I have personality disorder. WTF does that mean?
I too have suffered avoiding and hiding all my life....
How does one get over this - I am soon to be 49!!!! I want to live before I die!

DawnRose, I know exactly how you feel. But you still have plenty of time, and from what I have been told someone with AvPD can get better and live a normal life, it is just harder than it is for others, and you just need to work on changing your naturally occurring behaviors.

Here is a page with some more useful info:

https://outofthefog.net/Disorders/AVPD.html

Something interesting is the co-morbidity rates with other disorders. AvPD has a 70% co-morbidity rate with paranoid PD, 70% with dependent PD and 63% with obsessive compulsive PD.

Sometimes I find myself wondering how this whole thing is even a disorder. It often seems like sensible behavior. When I do bring myself to talk to someone, even in situations where it seems to make sense, they look at me like I have a rooster sitting on my head. And when it comes to girls, it seems to be especially true.

What's the point of talking to people if they are going to look at you like you are some sort of freak?