Avoidant Personality Disorder a form of Social Phobia??

The lines are blurred regarding generalized social phobia - it seems so customised for everybody. I've just been reading about Avoidant Personality Disorder and think this is what I'm battling.
I'm not sure if this is a type of social phobia? But this describes what I'm going through more than anything else I've ever read.
Does anyone have any knowledge or thoughts on this?

personally i always thought avoidant personality behavior was a symptom of some deeper underlying cause rather than being avoidant naturally.

all these "mental illness" names thrown around, but i think they are all more scales rather than just being so definiative as having it or not.

its my belief that everyone has everything, we are all just on different points of the scale is all.

A86 said:

its my belief that everyone has everything, we are all just on different points of the scale is all.

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Interesting

I suspect Avoidant Personality Disorder is a much more treatment resistant form of Social Anxiety. From my own personal experience, I know in my mind that I will experience little or no anxiety in social situations, however I avoid many situations that have the potential to make me feel uncomfortable. In fact, it has been so long since I have been active in socialising with anyone outside of a work environment ( I work, eat and share a cabin with co-workers for upto a month at a time, and I function extremely well in this environment) that I have forgotten how to initiate social behaviour with people. I can talk to people, and at times I feel like I could easily meet up with the person for a meal or a beer or perhaps a surf or ride but my avoidant tendencies stop me from doing so, from initiating or creating such a situation.

I think AvPD= too scary to let anyone actually get to know who I am. I feel like a failure. Whilst I long to feel connected to people, I find it excruciatingly hard to change my circumstances so I create opportunities for this to happen. In my darker moments I fear that I am too set in my ways to change.