AvPD and sensory sensitivity

This is my first post, so let me start this off by saying, I have not been formally diagnosed with anything, as I have not been able to seek proper treatment. If all goes well I will be seeking treatment soon, and I'm here to find more effective ways to communicate about my experiences.

When I look at the diagnostic criteria and symptoms of AvPD, as best as I can judge it, there are a grand total of three commonly listed symptoms that I don't experience in significant amounts. But there are a few things I experience that aren't on those lists, the biggest of which is sensory sensitivity.

Loud noises, bright or moving lights, and human touch can give me crippling migraines or anxiety to the point I can barely hold myself together. I can't tell you the number of times I've had someone touch me unexpectedly and it leave me too anxious and in knots to accomplish anything for the rest of the day, at minimum. And loud noises, man. As a kid when I used a public restroom I had to have a parent put their hand over the motion sensor to keep the toilet from flushing until I left because of how loudly it echoed. I hated fireworks and loud animals. I still jump every time a dog barks or a firework pops, and if there's a thunderstorm rolling in, I will never be able to sleep.

Is this sensory thing something that other avpd folks experience? What would you call it/compare it to when explaining it?

None of this seems related to AvPD, at least that's what my experience tells me. Not that you don't have AvPD, but what you're describing definitely sounds anxiety-based. Or, dare I say, some kind of neurological issue?

One thing I often hear is that any symptom a patient feels is related to mental health should always be screened for possible physiological causes first. It could be both.

What are the other symptoms are you experiencing that aren't commonly listed with AvPD?

You may find some answers in the work of Elaine Aron about HSP (Highly Sensitive Person), there are also self-tests online that might shed some light on the situation. I should state though that HSP is not a "diagnosis" or disorder, but rather a personality trait similar and somewhat related to introversion.

I have that too. highly sensitive to sound, light, touch. I get headaches looking at screens which have to be as dull as possible. it hurts when people touch me often. and I hate loud noises and certain noises. my body can't prepare for them. and I have hyperacusis and acute hearing anyway.

@Marcus555

Well, at this point it is all wrapped up in anxiety, so trying to tell the difference between things that came from anxiety and anxiety that came from things is like asking which came first, the chicken or the egg? I do know however that I didn't really feel the soul crushing, fear mongering anxiety until about five or six years ago, and most if not all of this was present before that. (Before that point it was mostly just shyness and avoidance, without the crippling fear. Nothing really happened so I'm not sure why it popped up then.)

I could believe it had to do with something neurological, but I can't really say much else on that with my limited knowledge.

@Ameba
I'll be sure to research that, thank you.

@Me two

Screens don't usually bother me unless I'm already having a bad sensory day. But I do get where you're coming from, and it's nice to know there are others who have similar experiences.