Therapy - meds or talk?

Have you guys had any success with medications? Or do you do better with just talking through things with a counselor? I'd like to find a therapist in my area but I don't know where to look for one that specifically deals with AvPD.

anybody?






what about this? Dialectical behavioral therapy

i hate this condition.. i want it to go away!

I have only started on therapy over the past few months. Did some CBT and more recently some more conventional talk therapy. I can't say it's made a huge difference, but it has made some difference and I think we should all be thankful for the little victories we can make. If you have a lot of them then they all add up.

I would be very surprised if you found a therapist that deals specifically with AvPD, but then I don't really think you need to. I think people with AvPD respond pretty well to the more conventional routes as long as you're able to be very honest with your therapist - something that's difficult for all us lot and our embarrassment issues.

DBT was specifically developed for Borderline sufferers because they don't respond as well as others to the conventional therapy methods. You should - and you should be thankful for that and work hard (and it really does involve that) at these to make all the advances you can.

I never had any success with meds but that's because I was a difficult patient and I resented being on them. (I've only ever tried antidepressants.) Basically I didn't trust my psychs because I didn't think they were really listening to me, so I acted very passive-aggressively with the meds. Zoloft made me numb to every emotion except anger, which I couldn't even release properly. On Wellbutrin I experienced a horrible static-cling brain sensation (never mind that there are no sensory nerve endings in your brain). I've had better fortune from taking B vitamins and cutting caffeine out of my diet completely. That helped a lot with my anxiety, which in turn alleviated the depression. I don't have a lot of authority to talk about meds because I don't care what other people do, but I personally want nothing to do with them anymore. It's ridiculous because if I were diabetic or schizophrenic I wouldn't be so anti-meds. I guess I just always felt that my issues were tied to the environment was in, and that turned out to be mostly true in terms of the depression.

Talk therapy was horrible at first because I have a habit of saying what I think people want to hear instead of being honest. I would also shut down when I felt criticized, which was more often than not. (Poor guy was just trying to help.) Eventually, I told my therapist that I really just needed someone to listen and be a little more nurturing. That's when talk therapy really became helpful for me and my everyday life began to improve bit by bit. Right now, I don't have easy access to therapy, but when I do I will probably get involved with talk therapy again. As someone with a strong avoidant style, there is something liberating about being able to complain to someone who probably doesn't know anyone I know, and even if they did, they couldn't legally tell that person (or anyone else) specifically what I said. Even on this site, I'm often scared that I'll post too much specific info and someone will find out who I am and it will get back to someone I care about and... you know... That said, it also helps to have someone point out when I'm being paranoid!

Skilled therapists don't have to be trained in treating AvPD specifically in order to help you. They just have to be able adjust their approach to the individual. (If they can't or won't do that, they cannot help you, period. Run!) Of course, that depends on us being upfront about what we need/want out of therapy. Like avoidandacircle said, that's especially difficult for avoidant people to do. If you can get over that hurdle, therapy will be very rewarding. I've never tried CBT, but from what I've learned and observed, it is excellent for a variety of anxiety disorders. Good luck finding a therapist!

Unfortunately they've moved this over to medications. I only took some Buspar once. Like shadowterra I resented being made to be on it so I got angry about it.

I am always tries to suggest the speaking therapy for everyone. I have saw a lot of good results from me. It really improves my performance in me. It makes a huge changes in me. Try to make any few tips rather than this therapy for me.

My issue is I don't trust therapists. I'm there to work on one thing, which they invariably read as something else. Then the little "seeds" they start planting to soften you up.... more seeds & "suggestions" as time goes on... I'm onto them, they keep doing it, I resent and stop going.

Over and over and over.

I don't like the therapists either. Or the meds. looks like I'm on my own!