Is there anyone else here with AvPD?

Hi, I was just wondering if there is anyone out here who has been diagnosed with avoidant personality disorder, I would be keenly interested to hear about your struggles and successes in dealing with this socially debilitating condition and any advice for improving self worth, thanks to all

TJ

I have. Also social anxiety, which is very similar. Among other stuff. I probably never will be comfortable with large groups of people, but I've been able to make connections with one person at a time and with small groups. I'm a lot more comfortable online than interacting IRL. Trying to work on relationships IRL lately. I want to learn to connect, both with other people, and with my own emotions.

thank you, I have a lot of trouble in the real world too, I always feel like no one wants me around, I know intellectually this is not right but I cannot shake the feeling.

Hi,
I was dxd with schizoid pd which in the system that my T. was working from they consider it the same as avoidant, really just variations on a theme.
I havent got a lot of time to write now, but I have been working on a project for recovery, from this. Also, a website, I've posted about this, I think my post about this is still somewhere around. #
My self worth improve beyond measure when I connect with others with the common recognition and the shared purpose of recovery. If you like I could tell you more.
All the best,
riverx.

Great, please do, you are welcome to PM me, I would love suggestions,. thank you-TJ

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I have a lot of trouble in the real world too, I always feel like no one wants me around, I know intellectually this is not right but I cannot shake the feeling.


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yes me too. My T is a psychoanalytic psychotherapist and she and I talk about child development and where things like this come from; she also acknowledges with pride and support when I to take risks (safe risks like going out of my comfort zone), and we talk about expectations versus reality. For me when expectations don't match reality all heck can break loose. Lots there to talk about!

some of that, the expectations part, is so true of me.

Back to my cave

I think I have had self esteem issues since I was very young, I have a lot of trouble beliving in myself. I constantly feel I am going to be rejected in everything I do. I am a total social clutz. I have trouble with feeling special or interesting to other people in anyway and that has led to a real struggle with self acceptance. Thanks for the encouraging response, its nice to know I am not out there by myself in this type of struggle.

No unfortunatly i have not.

I have it among other things. I find that I am better one on one with someone versus group things. When I'm in the hospital and have to go to groups I shut down and stare at the floor the whole time. I do better individually which unfortunately most hospitals you don't get much of. Relationshipwise I only have a handful of good friends that I can trust and that took a long time to build those relationships.

Jbug

Can AvPD exist along with other problems?

I know I'm reading too much stuff here! But the social aspects of this really do sound a lot like me. But it doesn't quite explain some of my other "issues"....depression, maybe mania, maybe borderline. Could I have AvPD AND Borderline? Or do they normally not go together?

I don't see any reason they can't go together. Most people who have personality disorders don't have only one disorder. They overlap, combine, and also involve depression, anxiety, and other Axis I stuff. But I don't think that having more than one disorder in the case of personality disorders necessarily makes it worse. It just means that a combination might describe a particular person better than sticking to one.

From my reading and from my experience of self and others, this is what it seems to me:
We get one basic underlying structure, into which we can load any amount of parts of other disorders. And yeah, as Rap says, theres a lot of overlap.
Also, I know that one of the schiz things is having been invaded and taken over in the past, so we easitly get sort of loaded up with the others disowned stuff. So, my mum was narcissistic which means disowned shame, she was shameless, quite irresponsible about how she hurt people. Then I go loaded up with shame, shame about myself, and also about her.
I know someone who is also schiz and her mum is very borderlinish, and she also, I think has some borderline traits, and in a way I think she's better off than me, is more able to keep friendships than me, she seems much less lonely.
in the felllowship I used to be in s.one described it as 'the bottom plate', you'know if youve ever been in a cheap caf or a canteen, you take one plate off and the next is moved up under it by a sort of spriing! Well, that was time back, wayback.

I know what you mean about reading, when I first got here, I read and read.... eased off a bit now.

river.