hello...

I was dxd with this. It sucks! (and that's all I have to say on the matter! Grrrrrr!)

I also was wondering if any of you have told "family" or "friends" IRL.. (I only told one person and this person naturally didn't get it )

I've never been diagnosed with Avpd. I did talk to my mom, when I learned of this personality disorder, about how I thought I had such similar traits. And she thought it she shared the same traits as well.

Most of my friends and family don't get introversion so I don't have a lot of hope of them understanding avpd.

I haven't been diagnosed with this either.

I'm pretty secretive when it comes to my diagnosis so I don't know if I would tell anyone other than my closest family or friend(since I only have one) I think I would be worried that they wouldn't understand it or think I was just complaining about something else. I think it all depends on how close you are to the person.

I find explaining it to others helps me to open up - even though I don't have a diagnosis, and I will always state that, I'll explain what about it I relate to.

Of course, I only do that with people I feel like I want to try trusting. If I talk about it, they're usually very surprised - I do not often behave in a way that reflects how I think and feel.

I told my daughter (17) late last year of my diagnoses.
I just never knew how to tell her. I did start a journal in 09 and over the years it grew so much that I figure if something ever happened to me or if they wanted to know about me this would be it. One thing about Avoidance is its impossible to explain and for people to understand the true full extent of shame and worthlessness so i figure written in true accounts would show what i hide from eyes.

One thing that bothered me was being able to explain in a balance manner.
She is a very bubbly person who has this love for life which makes me proud but i can't look at her in the face without welling up with happiness.

Late last year she was lost for a topic choice for her final year so i said "do something on mental health"... what about Avoidant personality disorder? Knowing full well she had never heard of it before.

We sat down together while she typed and researched AvPD for a few hours, I was able to point her to material that best represented the disorder.. all with out emotion.
To leave the emotion out was important to me. This way i wouldn't break down and she would learn about Avoidance from a educational view point.

Afterwards she asked me how i knew so much on Avoidance to which i said "you know my friend X has Avoidance.. to her reply being is that why?
I pointed at a book with Avoidance personality Disorder down the spine and said no half talking and half crying saying, its because I have been diagnosed with it too.... more tears with her telling me in a hug something like Don't take this wrong but you know thats cool!

My parents know as I was still living at home when I got the diagnosis. I've told 3 other people but I usually keep it to myself. I don't think they'd understand what it means anyway.