Can teenagers (meaning under eighteen) have Avoidant Personality Disorder?
It is indeed possible, but an accurate diagnosis can not be made until later in life. A lot of changes are happening in the brains of young adults between the ages of 11 through 25. The 25 is what surprised me. The chemicals and brain restructuring lasts that long before it is finally set pretty much for life. Your brain actually works differently from the adult brain. One of the questions you need to answer is, "Am I getting enough sleep?" It has been shown that teens who consistently go to bed earlier than most other teens (around 9:00 pm instead of the usual midnight) have less incidence of depression. Serotonin levels fluctuate wildly in the teen years. Sleeping in a darkened room helps the body build up levels of this brain hormone. You should eat a balanced diet, get exercise and get plenty of sleep. If you seriously feel you have a major problem, don't be afraid to get some counseling. My youngest brother had the same symptoms as you, but we could sit and talk for hours! He was practically a genius. I bet you are too. Just know this is not anything you did wrong, it's just your brain chemicals acting up, but in the meantime get help. OK?
I think i have avoidant personality disorder?
im 15, ive had selective mutism since i was 4 and i was at aviodantpersonalitydisorder.com and it said this How can we each know if we have Avoidant Personality Disorder? Well, read the medical descriptions of AvPD provided. If it feels like you've been pierced through your heart and a whole truck load of emotions hits you all at once; extreme anxiety (you may feel like choking, crying, throwing up... things like that) because some or most of the description fits you... and if it touches that secret place inside you that you keep hidden so well - you may have found your answer. i read the symptoms for it and it said if you have the disorder all the symptoms your reading will start happening within 10 minutes. and all of them exept # 5 started happening to me. A discrete period of intense fear or discomfort, in which four (or more) of the following symptoms developed abruptly and reached a peak within 10 minutes: 1. palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate 2. sweating 3. trembling or shaking 4. sensations of shortness of breath or smothering 5. feeling of choking 6. chest pain or discomfort 7. nausea or abdominal distress 8. feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded, or faint 9. derealization (feelings of unreality) or depersonalization (being detached from oneself) 10. fear of losing control or going crazy 11. fear of dying 12. paresthesias (numbness or tingling sensations) 13. chills or hot flushes it felt like i was on drugs or something it was scary :[ i can be around people but not longer than a whole day because i get tired of not being able to talk to them..
I think I have avoidant personality disorder, should I bring this up with my therapist?
Your therapist is someone who will now and in the future and guide you with all your forthcomings. And help you work through whatever issues or problems you've had in your past or you've got right now.So yes, give your therapist all the information you can. Especially if you think you have avoidant personality disorder as they can then help you in even better ways. Cheers.
Do I have Avoidant Personality Disorder?
You know best what's normal for you and what isn't. It sounds like you have some really valid concerns, anxieties, and behaviors that need to be dealt with. I can understand your concerns about worrying your family, which is why I'm going to suggest calling one (or several) of the following hotlines: 1. 1-800-273-TALK (This is the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, but they can also be there to lend an ear or to provide you with referrals to local resources. It is free, completely anonymous, and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.) 2. 800-522-TEEN (This is Teenline and is open from noon to midnight daily--not sure what time zone they're in, though. It is also confidential and may is run by teenagers and young adults who may be able to give you some insight if you just need someone to talk to on an especially bad day.) 3. The following website has an abundance of hotline numbers and resources on it. You may be able to look and see which you feel is most appropriate for you to call given your concerns. http://www.healthyplace.com/other-info/resources/mental-health-hotline-numbers-and-referral-resources/menu-id-200/ Now that you have some resources, I want to congratulate you on taking the first and hardest step of seeking health. I think that cognitive-behavioral therapy would be very for you in identifying and stopping some of the thoughts that are triggering the behaviors that worry you. I know that talking to your family can be hard, and sometimes having a professional come in and say to your parents, "this is what we think may be the issue, and here's how to fix it... here's what it means biologically, and here's what it doesn't mean" can be very helpful. You may be able to get some help through a school counselor or a medical doctor if your parents can get you in--under another pretense if necessary. I wouldn't want to say with absolute certainty that you definitely have avoidant personality disorder without a thorough assessment, but you appear to meet many of the criteria discussed in the DSM-IV (the American Psychological Association's text that is used to diagnose mental disorder). I would definitely recommend seeing a therapist, which you can be referred to from the above resources. It is very likely that much of what you're experiencing can be relieved with the assistance of a competent therapist.
What is an "Avoidant Personality Disorder" (AvPD)?
Anxious (Avoidant) Personality Disorder is a condition characterized by extreme shyness, feelings of inadequacy, and sensitivity to rejection. These individuals feel inferior to others. This disorder is only diagnosed when these behaviors become persistent and very disabling or distressing. This diagnosis should be used with great caution in children and adolescents for whom shy and avoidant behavior may be appropriate (e.g., new immigrants). This avoidant behavior often starts in infancy or childhood with shyness, isolation, and fear of strangers and new situations. Unfortunately, for some, this avoidant behavior persists and intensifies into adulthood; thus they become diagnosed with this disorder. This disorder is equally frequent in males and females. http://www.mentalhealth.com/dis/p20-pe08...
Could I have Avoidant Personality Disorder?
Hi. I'm 17 years old and a girl. Ever since I started Kindergarten I have been the "quiet girl". I really like to keep to myself and only speak if I literally HAVE to (teacher calls on me, talking to parents, etc.) I try to avoid conversation as much as possible. I am extremely sensitive and I take everything in a harsh way. I don't do well with criticism or people judging me. Everyone thinks I am weird because I don't talk much. My "friends" sit in a group at school in one of our classes if we have free time and I don't usually sit with them because I prefer to be alone. I know they talk about me and think I'm weird. I also am very paranoid. I worry about the smallest things such as a wrong number calling me or texting me, or someone looking at me and I feel like I can hear them talking about me when they probably aren't. I can't keep a conversation going except for with my closest friend and my friend I know online, but even then I avoid talking to him over video chat because I am worried he will think I'm weird (I have many times before though, and it's always awkward since I don't talk much). I have avoided taking my driving test to get my license because I don't want to be in a car with someone unknown and I've put it off for so long. I also avoid going to school by pretending to be sick, and now my parents don't believe me when I actually am sick. I avoid going to my dads because he is honest and harsh with criticism. Could I have Avoidant Personality Disorder? Thanks
How is avoidant personality disorder treated?
“Cure” might not be the right way to look at it. But I would say you could take the following steps:Accept that you might be a bit more scared of people getting close to you than the average person, and that’s OK. There’s nothing wrong with you, it’s just your internal workings. The only problem is when you let it run your life 100%.Focus on liking yourself FIRST, before trying to go outside to others. Sometimes we look to outside relationships and people for acceptance. But as the old adage goes, “If you can’t love yourself, nobody else can either.” Nobody else can make you feel happy or bring you up if you aren’t fundamentally happy yourself. Relationships don’t “fix” you.Build up your own life, confidence, and self-esteem so that YOU are happy before thinking about dating.Get help in therapy to go over why you might have AvPD - Note: just using therapy as a blanket solution isn’t helpful. But, it can be a great and necessary tool to keep you going on the right path.Focus then on finding healthy people to date, and also not trying to pursue a bunch of casual relationships. If you have AvPD, going through a bunch of one-night-stands can be a form of avoidance. What you need is a good, healthy, normal relationship with someone who cares for you and accepts you.As someone who used to suffer BAD from AvPD, this is the approach I took and would recommend.Back when it was REALLY bad and I couldn’t tell my girlfriend how I felt about her, I wrote a blog post talking about AvPD and the avoider mentality where tons of people started writing in with their own stories.You can check it out over here.
Can you be not shy and still have an avoidant personality disorder? I have all symptoms, but my doctor says that being bold makes me borderline. Is she right?
As someone who has diagnosed full-blown borderline personality disorder and avoidant traits, I will say yes, it is possible and she may be incorrect.. The thing with avoidant is, if you feel unthreatened and comfortable with certain people and are certain of being accepted by them, you may not avoid them.. You may just be bold around your therapist because you feel comfy with her.. For instance, if someone is very nice to me or I see them being repeatedly kind to others in front of me, I won't fear them and I'll actually idolize them and want to get their attention… (The me wanting to get their attention is my BPD idolizing them). So yes, it is possible to not always be shy, but sometimes also you will be shy.. BPD and AVPD have a lot of similarities… And they can easily be misdiagnosed for the other.. Also though, it is possible for them to be comorbid (co-occurring).. The biggest way to tell if you don't also have BPD is if you do not have instability in your emotions, relationships, interests and identity… That is something not feautured in AVPD.. You will not idolize/devalue others if you don't have BPD.. You won't have black and white thinking, and you won't have the attention seeking and manipulative behaviors of BPD.. Also, you won't have paranoia as much.. you may be paranoid of being rejected, but that's more anxiety… Then, social anxiety is a big component in AVPD.. Other than anxiety from fear of criticism and rejection, you won't have intense emotions and also constant emotional swings… you won't have intense, inappropriate anger.. Though it is also possible to have the anger internalized too… It is possible to not lash out with BPD, but you'll still feel it inside of you.. With AVPD, you'll always feel inferior.. You can feel this way with BPD, too but it will shift.. with AVPD, you'll always feel like "something's wrong with you", and that you are incapable socially.. Another thing with AVPD is that typically you will have very few, to no friends at all.. People with just BPD tend to party, and are known to have larger friend circles, but still struggle with keeping these friends.. So because I have both, I as of now have no friends, and when I've had friends I couldn't keep them because of my BPD..