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Avoidant Personality Disorder

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TheMachine1
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19 Dec 2006, 5:13 pm

http://www.4degreez.com/disorder/avoidant.html

Quote:
Avoidant personality disorder is characterized by extreme social anxiety. People with this disorder often feel inadequate, avoid social situations, and seek out jobs with little contact with others. Avoidants are fearful of being rejected and worry about embarassing themselves in front of others. They exaggerate the potential difficulties of new situations to rationalize avoiding them. Often, they will create fantasy worlds to substitute for the real one. Unlike schizoid personality disorder, avoidants yearn for social relations yet feel they are unable to obtain them. They are frequently depressed and have low self-confidence.


Quote:
Social inhibition; retreating from others in anticipation of rejection
Preoccupation with being rejected or criticized in social situations
Fear of embarrassment results in avoidance of new activities
Poor self-image; feelings of social ineptitude
Desire for improved social relations
Appear to others as self-involved and unfriendly
Creation of elaborate fantasy lives


There has been debate if AVD is really a different dx than social anxiety disorder (formily social phobia). Any was before I heard of Aspegers in June I felt AVP was my
primary problem. I have said social anxiety disorder in the past but I was really thinking AVD in my mind. Anyway curious what other people think.



mizkathy
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19 Dec 2006, 5:25 pm

That's what I thought I had until I found out about asperger's. AVPD describes actually all of my issues with people stress but I have other issues as well that's caused by the Aspergers. And I don't really have an answer to your question because I don't know the difference between social anxiety and avoidant personality disorder, they sound the same to me. 8O



logitechdog
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19 Dec 2006, 6:15 pm

That's why it's better to go for a diagnose as there’s 100+ disorders that can make you think that's me, like I’ve said I first went for just shyness & social anxiety at my Gp....

To put 1’s mind at rest….

http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/informat ... antisocial

http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/informat ... -disorder/

http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/informat ... disorders/

http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/informat ... psychosis/

http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/informat ... z/phobias/



Last edited by logitechdog on 19 Dec 2006, 6:51 pm, edited 3 times in total.

SteveK
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19 Dec 2006, 6:25 pm

Well, outside of the things AS describes that this doesn't, I only have the following symptoms that match APD:

yearn for social relations yet feel they are unable to obtain them.
Social inhibition
feelings of social ineptitude
Desire for improved social relations
Appear to others as self-involved

Alas, those TOO are explained by AS!

Steve



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19 Dec 2006, 8:53 pm

Machine1....... I have really questioned my AS DX.I dont seem to have much desire to socialize with folks other then on line.I know I used to,in my teens and twenties,but think I was mostly looking for a boyfriend?My attempts with female friendships were always very draining and painful.Most of the time I was around people and "not drunk"...I was just wishing I was at home with my cats,books,TV and art projects.I seem less social then many of the people on this site,but dont know if it is because of my age or some thing else.....Just wondering what your take on this was?


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SteveK
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19 Dec 2006, 9:49 pm

Krex,

You describe MOST AS people! Frankly, I think Women are more likely to act that way. If not for feelings I have had for so long, drive, etc... I might be that way. so how do you figure that your feelings are contrary to your diagnosis?

Steve



logitechdog
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19 Dec 2006, 10:02 pm

Most people have a social problem along with As that can also be the cause as been more socially isolated... as I have shyness & social anxiety...


I-e:- Not picking up the home phone…

* blushing & sweating
* dizziness
* heart palpitations
* tense muscles
* dry mouth
* trembling
* nausea

Some common social phobias are:

* Public speaking
* Performing on stage
* Dealing with authority figures
* Eating and drinking
* Writing
* Dating
* Using public toilets
* Sexual performance
* Taking an exam
* Social encounters in general



Last edited by logitechdog on 19 Dec 2006, 10:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.

TheMachine1
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19 Dec 2006, 10:09 pm

My point was past polls here on WP show a large number of people with comorbit
social anxiety disorder so I was curious if people felt the AVPD dx was more fitting to
them or if they even feel its a different dx than social anxiety disorder.



en_una_isla
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19 Dec 2006, 10:12 pm

I was trying so hard to be social and normal that, until recently, I refused to think that I had some kind of "social" disorder, but when it got to the point that I never picked up the phone and was afraid to open the door, even if someone I knew and trusted, knocked, I finally accepted that this behavior was not normal. But by that point I had started reading much more about spectrum disorders. Though I do consider myself to have severe social phobias, I think it is part of AS... as far as the distinction between avoidant personality disorder and social anxiety disorder, it simply looks like different shades of the same color.



logitechdog
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19 Dec 2006, 10:12 pm

Fear of embarrassment results in avoidance of new activities
Appear to others as self-involved and unfriendly
Creation of elaborate fantasy lives
Social inhibition; retreating from others in anticipation of rejection

well these four don't apply to me.. :roll:



en_una_isla
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19 Dec 2006, 10:17 pm

TheMachine1 wrote:
My point was past polls here on WP show a large number of people with comorbit
social anxiety disorder so I was curious if people felt the AVPD dx was more fitting to
them or if they even feel its a different dx than social anxiety disorder.


Can you list the criteria for social anxiety disorder (for those of us too lazy to look it up)? Then people could pick the one that fits them best,



Mnemosyne
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19 Dec 2006, 10:23 pm

Avoidant Personality Disorder was one of my many diagnoses before AS was in the DSM.



logitechdog
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19 Dec 2006, 10:25 pm

http://www.socialphobia.org/fact.html


soz wrong site was that other



Last edited by logitechdog on 19 Dec 2006, 10:32 pm, edited 2 times in total.

TheMachine1
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19 Dec 2006, 10:27 pm

en_una_isla wrote:
TheMachine1 wrote:
My point was past polls here on WP show a large number of people with comorbit
social anxiety disorder so I was curious if people felt the AVPD dx was more fitting to
them or if they even feel its a different dx than social anxiety disorder.


Can you list the criteria for social anxiety disorder (for those of us too lazy to look it up)? Then people could pick the one that fits them best,


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avoidant_p ... y_disorder

Yeah I guess we would need the offical DSM list but here is a quote from the above wikipedia.

Quote:
Research suggests that people with avoidant personality disorder, in common with social phobics, excessively monitor their own internal reactions when they are involved in social interaction. However, unlike social phobics they also excessively monitor the reactions of the people with whom they are interacting. The extreme tension created by this monitoring may account for the hesitant speech and taciturnity of many people with avoidant personality disorder. They are so preoccupied with monitoring themselves and others that producing fluent speech is difficult.

Avoidant personality disorder is reported to be especially prevalent in people with anxiety disorders, although estimates of comorbidity vary widely due to differences in (among others) diagnostic instruments. Research suggests that approximately 10-50% of the people who have a panic disorder with agoraphobia have APD, as well as about 20-40% of the people who have a social phobia. Some studies report prevalence rates of up to 45% among the people with a generalized anxiety disorder and up to 56% of the people with an obsessive-compulsive disorder (Van Velzen, 2002). Although it is not mentioned in the DSM-IV, earlier theorists have proposed a personality disorder which has a combination of features from borderline personality disorder and avoidant personality disorder, called "avoidant-borderline mixed personality" (APD/BPD) (Kantor, 1993, p.4).


That first part about "excessively monitor the reactions of the people with whom they are interacting" seems to be the critical difference. I am not sure if I do that or if
aspies do that.



en_una_isla
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19 Dec 2006, 10:45 pm

I wouldn't know how to monitor other people's reactions on a moment by moment basis, though I am good at reading general emotions. Anyway, it's not what the other person may or may not be thinking about me that makes me nervous, it's the basic human interaction that is painful, having someone near me, looking at me, and talking to me.



TheMachine1
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19 Dec 2006, 10:49 pm

en_una_isla wrote:
I wouldn't know how to monitor other people's reactions on a moment by moment basis, though I am good at reading general emotions. Anyway, it's not what the other person may or may not be thinking about me that makes me nervous, it's the basic human interaction that is painful, having someone near me, looking at me, and talking to me.


I have so isolated myself from social situations I really just do not know anymore.
I mainly just visit my sisters family and I'm alot more relaxed there as they know me
and tolerate me.