I’ve believed for a very long time that I also suffer from avoidant personality disorder. I fit the criteria to a T, it all rings true and has caused me many setbacks and much anguish. But when I’ve brought this up to doctors and psychologists they’ve dismissed my concerns. The first time I brought it up was in my early 20’s with a psychologist I’d seen on and off since I was 14. What he said was that I obviously hadn’t avoided coming to my appointment so I couldn’t have this disorder. He also said that even if I was diagnosed with it that wouldn’t make it go away and I couldn’t get help for it in the first place as people with AvPD couldn’t be helped at all!
I also mentioned this to my first psychiatrist and he simply said he was sick of people diagnosing themselves based on what they’d read on the internet. I haven’t mentioned it to any of my recent providers as I felt discouraged the first time. What I’ve been doing however is mentioning that avoidance has been a significant pattern in my life and just letting them conclude what they might from this.
But I mean I fit ALL the criteria for it, I don’t fit ALL the criteria for schizophrenia and I have a diagnosis of that. It’s been worse in the past where I’d be isolated and shut up in my room for six months at a time but has been much more manageable in recent years. If I’m comfortable with a situation or particular person then I’m usually just fine, it’s just that it takes so much and so long to get comfortable, usually anyway.
I avoid answering the phone, even my door at times, I avoid major responsibilities, any situation that might be uncomfortable or in which I may be judged negatively, heck I even managed to avoid going to high school!
Anyone else here also have a personality disorder in addition to schizophrenia?
Also read Conduct Disorder causes people to become withdrawn and detached from society. Then there is
Schizotypal, Schizoid, AVPD, Paranoid Personality that all sound similar to each other.
All of what you described can be attributed to schizophrenia. They’re called negative symptoms and can be very severe for some people. Usually schizophrenia rules out personality disorders. Its unlikely that you have both schizophrenia and avoidant personality disorder because they overlap too much. Im too lazy to go look at my textbook 4 feet away on the coffee table but yeah I dont think you have a personality disorder I am sure you have schizophrenia and strong negative symptoms.
Does that include borderline personality disorder? I was diagnosed with it as well as SZ. Mostly why I was diagnosed with it is because of my cutting urges and mood swings and fierce anger tantrums.
Avoidant Personality Disorder is a Separable Schizophrenia Spectrum Personality Disorder even when Controlling for the Presence of Paranoid and Schizotypal Personality Disorders
Mortimermouse, actually…no. I have markedly little in the way of negative symptoms, my illness has always been mainly positive symptoms. And my anxiety disorder (I do have an anxiety disorder) as well as my avoidant behavior is a pre-existing disorder meaning I first developed anxiety years (a decade actually) before I developed a psychotic disorder.
In the case of pre-existing conditions such as this it is very possible to have a personality disorder in addition to symptoms of psychosis.
I have Borderline Personality Disorder in addition to the Schizophrenia. The only thing that helped me recover, as I don’t have symptoms anymore, was intensive therapy. I worked with a great therapist. I recommend finding a good one if you don’t already have one.
I diagnosed myself with “Dependent Personality Disorder”. I fit the definition I had read on the internet to a “T”. This was several years ago. I had been looking back on my life and it seemed I was always"leaning on" other people and that I couldn’t do anything myself on my own. So I went to my doctor and told him my self-diagnosis. he was a TINY bit amused but he told me seriously that people who really have “Dependent Personality Disorder” can not even go out in public EVER, without someone else with them. I saw his point. I did not have it.
Do you see my point? You MAY have it. But you may not. Maybe it’s good idea to trust your doctors. Rather then trusting something you read on the internet. MANY first year psychology students diagnose themselves with all the stuff they read in their textbooks. “Anti-social”, Psychopathic, “psychotic”. It’s very common. They are usually wrong.
I’m sure even people with dependent personality disorder have their good days, or may even make progress to the point that they CAN leave the house by themselves. Not saying, of course, that you do have this.
Anyway, I don’t know about you but I’ve found the doctors I’ve known to be, well, very human lets say and my experience with my first doctor makes trusting any of them very, very difficult, as my first doctor was an arrogant moron. Yes, even arrogant morons can become doctors, there’s nothing stopping them. I’m not saying I think ALL mental health professionals are arrogant morons, but when you’ve been effected by one it becomes very difficult to “trust” as you say, any of them.
Anyway, this above mentioned doctor of psychology was the very person who told me I couldn’t possibly have schizophrenia as I’ve never presented with “two selves” as he said…that’s right. Yes perhaps I should trust in that man’s judgment over my own hindsight.
I probably have some form of borderline personality disorder or at least traits of it. This is on top of my schiz and bipolar symptoms - My therapist suspects borderline but has decided to tackle my schizophrenia and bipolar illnesses instead. Most of my borderline traits like self injury have pretty much faded, but I still have abandonment issues
