Avoidant Personality Disorder...

[hmm1]

I was for a while diagnosed with Social Anxiety, which was causing my depression. Now after a few sessions with a psych he came to the conclusion that I might have AvPD. This makes the situation far far worse seeing as SA is treatable and AvPD well... isn't. It's a personality trait, and I'm basically stuck with it.

 

Safe to say I'm devastated. I thought therapy would help me with social anxiety but it turns out my problems are rooted in my personality itself, which you can't change. Gradual exposure will help SA sufferers but apparently won't help AvPD sufferers, which means I'm SCREWED FOR LIFE.

 

Is there anyone else with this? What can you do?

[paranoiac543]

I have that! I've never been to counseling for it so I don't really know what to do about it.. but therapy can help you learn ways to deal with it

[nutbrownhare]

You don't say how old you are, but some personality disorders which are not directly treatable do resolve themselves with age. As paranoiac543 (I love the name, btw!) says, therapy can give you coping strategies which will greatly increase your chances of this happening.

 

Also, I've worked in mental health for long enough to see the same person with several different diagnoses over a period of time. Psychiatrists are NOT omniscient!

[Rosee]

I was for a while diagnosed with Social Anxiety, which was causing my depression. Now after a few sessions with a psych he came to the conclusion that I might have AvPD. This makes the situation far far worse seeing as SA is treatable and AvPD well... isn't. It's a personality trait, and I'm basically stuck with it.

 

Safe to say I'm devastated. I thought therapy would help me with social anxiety but it turns out my problems are rooted in my personality itself, which you can't change. Gradual exposure will help SA sufferers but apparently won't help AvPD sufferers, which means I'm SCREWED FOR LIFE.

 

Is there anyone else with this? What can you do?

 

I wouldn't describe AvPD as a personality trait, it's a personality disorder. Each personality style has a dfferent disorder as the extreme form of it. AvPD is the extreme form of having a sensitive personality style (which is the trait). There are varying degrees of it and it's definitely treatable!!

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is the therapy type that I've heard works best (and what I had).

 

I was never officially diagnosed with it but I think I was more strongly avoidant before my therapy..I'm much better, although I still practice avoiding behaviours and that's partly because it's quite hard work to fight the tendency.

I'll always be a sensitive person though, that's the kind of thing you can't alter, but there are good things about being sensitive.

Definitely don't give up hope!