I think I have avpd. Now what?

Hi

So I'm 99.9% sure that I have avpd. I'm very relieved because I can finally put a name on how I feel and what I think is wrong with me. However, I'm very confused on what I'm supposed to do to get help. I just turned 18 and I'm in college. I'm currently looking for a mental help professional but I'm confused on what I'm looking for.

I have a few questions:

Do I need a psychologist or a psychiatrist?
After I am diagnosed do I need to find a therapist?
What are the treatment options for avdp (there isn't a lot of information online about treating the disorder)
How long will it take to get better or to see any results with therapy?
Is there anything I can do now to help my avpd? Like any short term exercises to deal with the symptoms of my avpd?

AVOID psychiatrists. AVOID AVOID. All they do is give people worthless and often harmful drugs. The best thing to do is find a psychologist or therapist who knows cognitive behavioral therapy. There's also something called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). I'm not as familiar with that. This is what I see from googling:

this type of therapy uses strategies of acceptance and mindfulness (living in the moment and experiencing things without judgment), along with commitment and behavior change, as a way to cope with unwanted thoughts, feelings, and sensations. ACT imparts skills to accept these experiences, place them in a different context, develop greater clarity about personal values, and commit to needed behavior change

Hi fehlen

My diagnosis came from seeing a clinical psychologist- I'd been seeing him for over a year before we figured out my diagnosis as far as the PD side of it went. My diagnosis is pretty muddled though. That said, it will likely take more than a couple of sessions for someone to diagnose and confirm a PD.

Psychiatrists are mostly concerned with diagnosis and medications. Meds might be used to treat depression or anxiety that can go along with AvPD- but for some they find it doesn't help. Personally, I can't function very well without the meds- my depression and anxiety are too severe.

As far as treatment goes- cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is something that helps a lot of people. It is usually done by a psychologist. Along with gradually exposing yourself to the kind of situations we avoid so much. It will take time and patience with yourself. It's not likely to change you into someone who is the life and soul of the party, but it often means you can function much better on a day to day basis.

As for finding a professional, you could start with your GP/usual doctor and ask for a referral and assessment. You could also approach the counselling staff at your college and ask them to refer you on to someone appropriate.

In the short term? I try to do things that gently push my AvPD boundaries. Like making myself go out for coffee and sit in a coffee shop once a week while I do. Or joining in a group session at the gym. They're a challenge, (I do enjoy it but go away mentally exhausted) but it's stopping myself from completely shutting myself away and means I keep trying to build things up slowly.