Social Anxiety/ Avoidant Personality Disorder

[ladulcemusica]

You are very brave. Perhaps you might feel more comfortable asking for references through email, so that it does not have to occur face to face? I am often intimidated by asking for my needs to be met by people i admire (although I do not have DD). I studying to be a clinical therapist, and I commend you for your openness! You are helping a lot of people by sharing your experience. PS you are correct- SAD and AvPD are basically issue of severity. AvPD is more severe & larger symptom range.: )

[noodle92993]

I laughed when you were like "basically, I'm not an asshole"...

I don't have a psychiatrist, although I might think of seeing one because for a while I think I've had avoidance personality disorder or some sort of social disorder. This was a good video, very good at clarifying what everything was.

[armrdsoul77]

You are awesome.

[iamnotascientist]

Cutting your own heart out buehueheu I thought it was funny, don't worry!

[Renitamac]

YOu seem quite nce enough, but I have no idea what you're saying. You have a thick accent. Nothing wrong with that, just I can't understand.

[ibbotson22]

Great video. I found it pretty informative how you read out the points of AVPD. I also liked how you related your own situation to each point . I have a question , have you thought about getting a real mini clock for your hat ? I noticed that the one in the video didn't move. I think it would be pretty cool to have a hat clock .

Cool vid , take care

[nervousneuron]

@reticentdaydreamer

Thanks! I put a link in the description.

[firejutsumaster777]

You're awesome. Such an interesting video. :D

[tubo1812]

Good video!. Thanks for the long description, your English is difficult to understand for me. I hope you do not give up and can reach your goals. Maybe it is true then better to try to cure is to have strategies to cope. Are you on medication? I remember you switched from Zoloft to Prozac.

[Johnny1gogh]

First of all, it looks like you want to be a police woman. But why a clock on the helmet?

Seriously, you're an interesting woman. Unique. And that's good. Most people roll off the same cookie cutter assembly line. And, if they were to confront you, they should only wish that they were more like you.

Listen, one day you'll be an old woman, not so nervous, sitting in a rocking chair, looking back at all the things you worried about, all the people you tried to impress, and you'll laugh.

[misstiggykins]

I love the video, your outfit, your accent etc. I just wondered... Have you ever been evaluated for Asperger's syndrome (AS)? AS tends to present differently in grils/women than in boys/men. Avoidant personality and social anxiety are quite common in female AS, and girls/women with AS often pass for non-autistic. The latter has been suspected for quite a long time, and a new paper has from the Autism Research Centre in the UK (Lai et al. 2011) has just confirmed this hypothesis.

[nervousneuron]

@misstiggykins

@misstiggykins

Thanks! No I have never been evaluated for AS specifically. So far, any discussion of my social skills comes around to anxiety and has never been investigated further. Anything else related to AS has not been a big problem for me. For example, I have an obsession with something seemingly random (for example, currently it's 'contempt'). But I know not to talk about it non stop.

I'm bad at faces, but better at voices. I have problems with trying new food [cont]

[nervousneuron]

@nervousneuron and tend to eat the same thing over and over again – it just has to have the right texture. And it's not a problem because I don't have try new things in front of strangers. I have stereotypys (which sometimes make people think I'm on stimulants – so they say) and some random stuff really irritates me, like the noise of someone drinking in a certain way. I consider these to be just eccentricities, not the problem so I don't really mention it. [cont]

[nervousneuron]

@nervousneuron

Funnily enough, it's not these eccentricities that make me so anxious around others. Aspies and the neurodiversity movement helped me to accept them.

Although I would like to know for curiosities sake where I fall on the spectrum just because so many people have asked. And as really bad as this sounds, it would 'allow' me to be more socially inept. But I honestly don't know how to get evaluated for it as an adult anyway, unless it comes up in therapy.

[misstiggykins]

@nervousneuron - you actually sound very similar to me... I was diagnosed with AS in 2008, in my early 40s. I had been in the mental health system for a while, with general anxiety, OCD, other compulsive behaviours and an eating disorder (which had nothing to do with body image). My brother has AS (and my father probably also), so my psych sent me for evaluation. The evaluation included parental interview about my behaviours as a child. The diagnosis helped me to understand myself better (cont)

[misstiggykins]

and also to be less self critical about my behavioural rigidity, social anxiety etc. It was not an excuse, as such, but I read around ASD a lot, recognised my difficulties better and it actually helped me socially. Like you I am a scientist and have a PhD. I am better at understanding data than I am at understanding people (lol). Oh, and I'm good with cats :) Not sure where you live in Oz but Prof Tony Attwood et al. in Brisbane are excellent diagnosticians if you were interested in evaluation.

[VideoGuyNC]

Of course - as someone who suffers from major anxiety and depression daily, I cannot officially comment on your specific conditions. However; I can tell you that you are beautiful, seem very intelligent, and generally very likable! I think one of the world's problems is the term "normal." What is "normal" really? Who is "normal"? If we as a species could get beyond the term "normal", I think we'd all be healthier.

[nervousneuron]

@mrchatttty

1. The DSM. Under social anxiety, it specifically says 'The person recognizes that the fear is excessive or unreasonable' and doesn't not list the beliefs which sufferers hold, where it does for AvPD. Social anxiety needs no explanation, apart from fear of acting in an embarrassing way, even though they know there is little chance they will actually embarrass themselves, or doing so is not going to kill them.

[cont]

[nervousneuron]

@nervousneuron

Those with AvPD specifically 'views self as socially inept, personally unappealing, or inferior to others'.

Perhaps 'not aware' is too strong of wording from me. Maybe 'in comparison to social anxiety, those with AvPD tend to believe they are actually inept'. I don't know, that's just my opinion.

2.Someone on the wikipedia page for AvPD wrote that too, but have not cited a source.

[elephantwig]

@nervousneuron You are actually quite lucky, here's why. First you are female, you have double the chance of being befriended by either genders which can open opportunities. Secondly you have social anxiety disorder NOT avpd. Let me tell if you had AVPD you may appear less nervous, but boy oh boy will your life be destroyed, well n through. This is coming from someone who has it. You are spot on with your definition to avpd, i applaud you. Do yourself a favour and fucking go on the doll

[ModerateMartian]

Good points about self fulfilling prophecies...

[ModerateMartian]

Good video. Yeah I get most of my problems before and after the event as well as some during however the worst of it is before and after. That's not always the case as it depends on the situation and how much pressure that's put on me.

[ModerateMartian]

@mrchatttty No I've not heard that either. Thought it was the those with AvPD were more avoidant of the situations that make them anxious to the point it becomes a disorder. Not if or if not that person thinks their thoughts are irrational.

[D3THFAN]

I'm convinced that there is a certain point at which social anxiety is irreversible and will be a lifelong source of loneliness, depression, and ineptitude.

[nervousneuron]

@D3THFAN

While I'd agree about the irreversible part, I don't think it will be lifelong depression, etc. You can learn to adapt. Treatments work differently for different people. Some people can use cognitive behaviour therapy to fight their own thoughts and almost recover, while others become housebound for fear of having to meet somebody.

I personally don't think I will not have social anxiety, but will overcome specific problems.

[APerfectAsss]

@D3THFAN

Nothing in the human condition, except death itself, is irreversible. There's always ECT, drugs, or miracles to help one cope.

[DoYouReadSutterCane]

Are... are you secretly me, except as an attractive girl? I mean while I've never been diagnosed with anything, I noticed that significant portions of this video described my social experiences. I mean it was kinda freaky how similar I am when it comes to certain things you talked about in this video.

btw you just gained at least 1 more subscriber from this video.

[nervousneuron]

@DoYouReadSutterCane

Actually I might add, being socially anxious is quite common and considered healthy. Eg. many people are afraid to give a public presentation and most people are afraid of being embarrassed. Some people are introverts and that's it! It becomes a mental illness when its starts interfering with your life. A lot of people are undiagnosed because if your country has crap healthcare, it can cost a lot to get that shit diagnosed.

[MrSupasexi]

@nervousneuron get the linden method. social anxiety is not a mental illness.

[nervousneuron]

@MrSupasexi

Yes, but social anxiety disorder, or social phobia is a mental illness. Unless you want to get philosophical about what a mental illness is or what defines disability. I won't say much about the linden method, but the marketing is worse than big pharma imo.

[MrSupasexi]

@nervousneuron well considering the linden method actually does what it says im going to listen to them lol. all these doctors who call social anxiety a "mental illness" arent helping anybody at all with their methods. btw when you tell somebody who has social anxiety they have a mental illness youre just perpetuating their anxiety lol

[U4rikmind]

you look like a kick ass girl

[conversekitty20]

I love your videos, like I love brains :) thank you

[merfwriter]

I love your outfit