Do you plan to get an official diagnosis?

The place I have been going to has claimed they need more time to check for AVPD, and I haven't brought myself to press the point, maybe I will in the somewhat near future. So far they've claimed generalized social phobia and agoraphobia I guess. I would rather like to know, so I guess I will begin plotting how to move a conversation towards that end >.>;

Yes, I'm planning to get a diagnosis as soon as I earn money. But his is only because I want treatment. I think I can stand 2 more years and hopefully there will be some progress in psychologist knowing about AvPD then.
I think borderline cannot be reliably discriminated from other disorders. It will probably not survive the next edition of the diagnostic manual. They discarded other P.D for the same reason. Of course this doesn't mean there isn't people who have exactly this pattern. I'm quite sure my mother has exactly hysteric p.d., but this one was discarded from DSM II.

I hope I don't have too many other things to make it more complicated. Or at least no other p.d.
Dysmythia = Disthymia or is it something else? I think I might have some bipolar mood disorder, too. But not manic depression. The depressive episodes are more intense than the better episodes. It's probably disthymia.

I doubt that Psychiatrists know any more about AvPD than Psychologists. Psychiatrists learn know about the biological underpinnings of a disease and can treat only with meds. And as far as I know there is nothing known about the biological base of AvPD. I think I will see a Psychiatrist if C.B.T. doesn't work on me. Drugs without other treatment only make you an addict. But if SSRIs work on you it can help in getting started with the C.B.T. stuff.

0000

DarkComrade wrote:If im sick or got somthing medical i dont want to go and see a doctor just cause of the people sitting in the waiting room.

I am the same way >_> Last time I got forced to go to the optometrists I guess I had a panic attack or something, passed out, hit my head on the table next to me, and woke up having no idea where I was. I lucked out when it comes to finding a psych. I guess though, I found a very small practice that only has one person working there on any given day, so there is never anyone in the waiting room.

--

I really want to get a professional diagnosis for my issues.
I must admit I would derive a perverse masochistic pleasure in finding out exactly what my issues are

It won't mean anything. They're a bunch of damn morons. Some were even saying I was schizophrenic even though I was the 3rd highest rated chess player in the state. They don't even care about what you've really got. You'll just be some retard to them and they are going to want to make sure you don't hurt anyone. So they'll recommend you take tons of haldol or risperidal and become a drooling vegetable. Then they'll say they've really helped you and pat themselves on the back for doing such a great job. It won't matter if you tell them if you feel like $#%^. They'll just up your dose until you can't even think to complain anymore.

I recently self diagnosed myself with AvPD. The 4degreez.com test was very much in line with my diagnosis. I know that's not good to do, but it fits like a glove and explains every behavior of mine that I don't like. I feel relieved to have found out the underlying issue I have and can now move forward. I'm excited.

I did some self therapy today and went to a motorcycle club meeting. This is something I wouldn't ever think if doing out of fear of socializing with strangers. I was petrified and almost bailed out before I got to the door. I was determined to see what would happen if I tried to step out of my box, so I forced myself to go in. It actually went very well, so I'm very hopeful.

I have an appointment this week with a psychologist to either confirm it and try to treat it, or to find out that I'm off track. Either way, I want to nail my issue and do something about it. I've wasted too much of my life because of my issues.

So, what's stopping you from getting a diagnosis?

Sometimes I think we are the better experts on AvPD than most psychologists. I digged for some research articles and there are few articles dealing really with AvPD, some only mention it among other PDs.
Some articles I found were about treatment and some about how to distinguish AvPD from social phobia. Some suggest that AvPD is just a more severe form of Social Phobia. But I don't think that's all about AvPD. Social Phobics are mainly shy with strangers and don't have problems with close relationships(if they don't have a relationships it's because they don't leave the house or because they don't chat anyone up). And with AvPD you need not be shy at all.

I asked my therapist what her official diagnosis of me would be: Aspergers or AvPD. She told me that officiall diagnosis would be a text book case of AvPD.

When asked why I would want the diagnosis, I told her this: "Because after a lifetime of being weird and never showing up at gatherings and family reunions, I wanted something I can hand someone and say 'HERE. THIS is the reason I have been so ...avoidant."

In fact I feel more comfortable around women than men in many ways,unless I think they may be interested in me or I am interested in them. I can actually be very talkative and outspoken.Sometimes I am quiet but it mainly because I just don't feel like talking at that present moment or I'm depressed.

I'm the same if you exchange 'women' with 'men'.