Posted by zeugma on December 11, 2003, at 17:27:39
In reply to Does anyone have Avoidant Personality Disorder?, posted by billym on December 11, 2003, at 13:36:26
I have AvPD, along with other diagnoses too numerous to mention. I think the cardinal feature of AvPD is embarrassment- I redden easily (as my coworkers have discovered to their great amusement), absolutely prefer not to be involved with anyone because sexual contact is intensely anxiety-provoking and embarrassing, reveal as little as possible about myself to anyone, and need a lot of time alone to sort through feelings and calm down from the terrible overstimulation I feel in the presence of others.
I suppose I see AvPD not as the loss of personality, but as the suppression of one- which is a little different. As far as treatments, well, i have so many other conditions that I can't say I have tried any specific to AvPD issues except for cognitive behavioral therapy- which was an utter disaster and a terrible provoker of anxiety in its own right.
Klonopin has helped somewhat with the social phobia issues. What i am trying to work through now is what is 'natural' to my personality and what isn't, which is a difficult task since all my life I've suffered from a combination of debilitating disorders that made most things impossible. I feel a great need for quiet, the time and space to think things out and let the raw emotionality ease off a little. I take:
nortriptyline 75 mg
Strattera 80 mg
buspirone 30 mg
Klonopin .25 mgThis combination essentially has me functional enough to actually be aware of the AvPD issues. As far as pharmocotherapy of AvPD goes, I would think that drugs helpful for severe social phobia would be indicated. That's why I'm giving Klonopin a shot. It has definitely helped me tolerate interacting with people in general, though I still desire to avoid more intense interpersonal situations.
poster:zeugma
thread:288792
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031208/msgs/288867.html