I don't have AvPD, but I was in therapy for years and suspected I might have a PD before I was diagnosed with one. I think I likely had OCPD before I fell apart after my late husband died, was diagnosed with PDNOS about 9 years ago.

From what I have read and from my own oersonal experience most current therapies do not help with personality disorders. That's just the way it is and it sucks. From what I have read, schema therapy does have some promise but it is not yet widely available, so. . .

And, yes, they ARE getting away with this. That's just the fact. Like a physical disease for which there is no good therapy . . .go away, see ya, there's nothing I can do for you so . . .go away. On the private market a lot will also sell you on therapies and take your money (we are frequently rather desperate, after all) on therapy that has long had questionable success with PD's Not to mention making things worse.

We developed PD's in the first place frequently, I think, because we didn't count in our families or early social environment and so here we are again-- don't count, nobody knows what to do, nobody is researching what to do. It's not them, not their problem, move along, next. . .Yes, It's hard to believe but I am finally having to come to terms with the fact that that is how "normals" operate.

I think if a bunch of us got together, perhaps we could understand each other and come up with some approaches toward solutions. We might have some understanding as well as motivation. But I have no clue how to get anything like that started. Thing is, if we could do that then it wouldn't be about them getting away with not helping us -- it would be about us actually getting something done about it. Individually, if any of us knew how to help ourselves then, logically, we would. But we don't. And therapists don't know how to help either. So, if we could find ways to help each other. . .

Any ideas?