Compare to Social Anxiety Disorder

I definitely have struggled with SPD all my life but have also had a fear of confrontation, mainly with bosses where I worked in the corporate world. So is this two different psych conditions? I am 72 now so its too late for treatment I guess, besides I identify with those who really don't want to get better, just rather to be themselves, alone. Thanks for reading this.

It is never too late for treatment Cygnus. Not if that's what you want anyway. Sometimes it is hard to differentiate conditions when the symptoms are similar for both.

Welcome to pc I have social anxiety (amongst other things). Please feel free to PM me

I think it's never too late to change (but sometimes my heart doesn't believe that . I wonder if you too have somehow been "programmed" to believe that things won't improve Please keep posting, I hope you'll find this a positive and insightful community as I do

Cygnus,

I experience SPD, social anxiety, and social avoidance.

At least in my reading/searching/researching, I've found what makes the difference between social avoidance and social anxiety is where the anxiety is directed in that social encounter.

I thought I had "social anxiety" because, not knowing the DSM definitions, that's what it felt like, the face value of the words. But "social anxiety" has a heavy characterization from self-consciousness - "Are they looking at me? Did I say something stupid? Does my breath smell? My clothes probably look so stupid to them. What am I going to say? Will I say the right thing?" Inferiority, poor confidence, not wanting to be judged. This does not necessarily include not wanting to interact with people, though.

Wheras, social avoidance seems to be more heavily characterized by just wanting to be gone. This can because of bad experiences/trauma associated with socializing or the fear of social rejection. Plain "social anxiety" is of course at play here, but then there are subtypes within "avoidant personality".

Personally, mine is "phobic". For those with SPD, I'm going to GUESS that this is the most common type, expecting social situations to be thoroughly undesirable, uncomfortable, unwanted, or scary in whatever way. I am not socially inept by any means - am called a flirt, charming, pleasant, "nice" and all that business. When a random interaction takes place, I have little doubt the exchange will be fine. ...However, I will likely looooathe it all the way through. Absolutely undesired, and the anxiety of just wanting to be away and not having to "act social" and to be alone and not have to deal with others and their crap [and their feeeeelings <-- schizoid] and the unknown of strangers' capabilities/actions is so overwhelming that massive anxiety comes into play. The agoraphobia, for me, comes from just the thought of this inevitability, and knowing deeply the effort in energy required to produce those languid and "natural" interactions is exhausting, like a life sap. Excusing a few individuals, just receiving a freaking text from people is enough to set my anxiety to high.

Conclusion? A notification-less phone is a happy phone. XD

But for real - it is a very branched thing. For better clarification, I would look into the four subtypes of avoidant personality.

The bolded part is so much like me it's a bit uncanny. Wow.