Your experiences with professional help.

Thanks for all responses,

I have decided to give therapy another chance, this time in my own conditions. I am a logical kind of person and therefore I think a logical approach to my problems may be the best way for me. I think I will proceed as follows:

- I will start with a private consultation this time. This gives me the freedom to choose instead of just accepting assigned people as with public health care.
- I will ask for a proper evaluation. I have never been diagnosed by a professional and I'm honestly at loss. AvPD, SPD, PTSD, etc., I don't any of the profiles properly.
- I will not suggest what is wrong with me, it will be up to the therapist to do the work this time. I have to avoid the parrot situation mentioned here where people are just fed their own thoughts.
- If the therapist fails do give me a proper diagnosis with a viable explanation on how and why he/she came to the conclusion I will immediately find a new therapist.
- I will also do this with two separate therapists to get a two opinions. After all, my life and my money are too important to waste on a sloppy performance from a therapist.
- After all that is done I will decide on how to proceed. I will most likely search help within the public health care (after all, I'm not made of money). This time armed with proper diagnosis right from the start.

Thanks for listening to me. You guys made me realize that there is only one person that can help me ant that is myself.

Best regards,
Angler

That sounds logical. But I'm afraid it might not be that simple. I hope it works out for you. Will you come back here and let us know how it worked out?

IF you are going to spend your funds, I suggest that you see a psychologist and ask for testing to be done.
Psych testing will give you a basis for a diagnosis, and they may be easier for you to answer since a person will not be asking you highly personal questions, but a test will be asking you.
You may find it easier to be upfront and thoroughly honest. Just an idea...

I've taken some psych tests before. In one they show you some drawings of people and you have to make up a story about them. That seemed kind of hard.

I´m not very friend of tests, mainly if you have enough time to respond. I find more useful the chat with the Phychiatry face to face. Words and no- verbal communication, stops, silences and all that stuff.
@Anglers, al least in my country, the diagnosis has to be given by a Phychiatrist. The bad new is that they will give you some meds. Meds, that are possible you don´t need. I don´t know in your country.

Reading your first post, I also thought you probably had some squizoid trails but when you said "I enjoy people" I stopped thinking it. I´m not trying to diagnosed you, ok. It was only an idea I had.
I wish you luck and keep this idea in your mind. Most of people have many possitive things, many things to be proud of. Trust yourself, and don´t be afraid to show as you are.
Let us know how are you going? Even, if you didn´t have too luck with your therapist. There is always a thing to learn.
Take care!