Schizoid Personality Disorder - SPD

Schizoid Personality Disorder Overview- Schizoid Personality Disorder treatment, cause, symptoms, medication

The name Schizoid was suggested by Kretschmer (1936), who believed that this type of personality is related to schizophrenia, but the idea has not been confirmed.

Schizoid personality disorder is a psychiatric condition characterized by a lifelong pattern of indifference to others and social isolation.

People with schizoid personality disorder avoid relationships and do not show much emotion. They genuinely prefer to be alone and do not secretly wish for popularity. They tend to seek jobs that require little social contact. Their social skills are often weak and they do not show a need for attention or acceptance. They are perceived as humorless and distant and often are termed "loners."

Diagnostic Criteria of Schizoid Personality Disorder

1. A pervasive pattern of detachment from social relationships and a restricted range of expression of emotions in interpersonal settings, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by four (or more) of the following:
   1. neither desires nor enjoys close relationships, including being part of a family
   2. almost always chooses solitary activities
   3. has little, if any, interest in having sexual experiences with another person
   4. takes pleasure in few, if any, activities
   5. lacks close friends or confidants other than first-degree relatives
   6. appears indifferent to the praise or criticism of others
   7. shows emotional coldness, detachment, or flattened affectivity
2. Does not occur exclusively during the course of Schizophrenia, a Mood Disorder With Psychotic Features, another Psychotic Disorder, or a Pervasive Developmental Disorder and is not due to the direct physiological effects of a general medical condition.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors of Schizoid Personality Disorder- SPD

Personality disorders are chronic behavioral and relationship patterns that intefere with a person's life over many years. The cause of schizoid personality disorder is unknown and estimates of its incidence vary.

This disorder may be associated with schizophrenia and shares many of the same risk factors. However, schizoid personality disorder is not as profoundly disabling as schizophrenia, since it is not marked by hallucinations, delusions, or the complete disconnection from reality that occurs in untreated (or treatment-resistant) schizophrenia.

Treatment of Schizoid Personality Disorder

Individual psychotherapy is the preferred treatment method by most people with this disorder. By getting the individual to share their art and develop the relationship from that base, a therapist may be able to establish rapport. Therapists often encourage the person to share their personal hobbies, like music or art with others. Behavior therapy, such gradual exposure to specific tasks, also called systematic desensitization, can help the person form confidence in a social setting. The therapist would probably recommend the person begin with activities which involve little socialization and advance to activities requiring more and more socialization. Group therapy may help the person build social relationships in a supportive atmosphere. Family therapy may also be helpful since people with this disorder typically remain in the house longer. However, though the person's condition may improve, most still prefer solitary activities over social ones.

Features of Schizoid Personality Disorder

• Emotionally cold
• Aloof
• Lacking enjoyment
• Detached
• Introspective
• Prone to engage in fantasy
• Homourless

People with Schizoid Personality Disorder are more interested in intellectual matters than in people. They have a complex inner world of fantasy, although this lacks emotional content.

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I am a schizoid but have a good sense of humour. - Richard Worrall

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Site last updated: March 4, 2008

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