Interesting background stories...I struggle with where I'm at as far as a diagnosis goes. I first heard of AvPD last year and thought 'That's me exactly!" My therapist, who has way more knowledge than me, diagnoses me with social anxiety, a close relative to AvPD. I wonder if he's trying to make me feel better. Either way, I see my childhood having a close relationship with a overly-critical mother but a father who was detached, self-absorbed and probably social anxious. This is the combination that got me to this point, not sure how far I can get to "normal" at my age, but I'm trying...