People with Avoidant Personality Disorder have a chronic fear of interpersonal relationships. The consistently look for excuses NOT to socialize. If a friend forgets to call them, they say "oh well, she's not my friend after all!"

Obviously, people with APD are extremely insecure and angry at the world. Oftentimes, they had an incident in their youth that impacted them tremendously. A rejection of some kind, either from a parental figure or friend. If you've ever seen the movie "Rebel Without a Cause" there is an interesting scene where Natalie Wood kisses her father and her father responds by slapping her and telling her teenage girls don't do that. These kinds of incidents enforce APD behavior.

Any medication that reduces anxiety (effexor, Buspar)may work to some degree, but I dislike psychiatric medicne in general because of side-effects, and the fact that they do not treat the underlying problem. A couple glasses of wine helps a person with APD open up a little, but this can't be done all the time. Psychotherapy is the best route.