Schizoid personality disorder is characterized by a departure from social relationships, a limited range of emotional expression in interpersonal situations, a tendency to a solitary lifestyle, emotional coldness and apathy. This model begins in adulthood and manifests itself in a variety of contexts.
People with schizoid personality disorder lack a desire for privacy, are indifferent to opportunities to develop intimate relationships, and feel no satisfaction in being part of a family or social group.
- They’d rather spend time alone than be with other people.
- They usually live socially isolated or are ‘alone’.
- They always choose individual activities or hobbies that don’t involve interacting with others.
These people prefer mechanical or abstract tasks, such as computers or math games. They may have very little interest in having sexual experiences with others and have little or no activity. People with schizoid personality disorder are usually emotionally disconnected from the outside world and do not. not engaging in any sensory, bodily or interpersonal activity, such as walking on the beach at sunset or having sex.
They have no close friends or confidants, with the possible exception of a first-degree relative. They often seem indifferent to the approval or criticism of others. They may be oblivious to the normal complexities of social interaction. Besides, they often don’t, respond adequately to social cues, so they seem socially inappropriate or superficial and selfish.
They tend to have a faded exterior, without a visible emotional reaction, rarely respond with gestures or facial expressions, such as smiles or nods, they do not feel strong emotions like anger and joy.
They often have an emotional limitation and seem cold and distant, however, in particular circumstances where they feel comfortable, they can recognize that they have painful feelings, mainly related to social interactions.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) sets out the following criteria for diagnosing this disorder:
A- A dominant pattern of detachment in social relationships and little variety of expression of emotions in interpersonal contexts, which begins in the early stages of adulthood and occurs in various contexts, manifests itself in four (or more) of the following behaviors:
B- It does not occur exclusively in the development of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or depressive disorder with psychotic characteristics, psychotic disorder or autism spectrum disorder, it cannot be attributed to the physiological effects of another medical condition.
People with schizoid personality disorder may have difficulty expressing anger, even in response to direct provocation. This contributes to the impression that they lack emotion or “blood in the veins”.
Sometimes their lives seem aimless and may seem?In terms of goals and goals. These people generally passively react to adverse circumstances and have difficulty responding adequately to important life events.
People with this disorder, in some cases, can develop a major depressive disorder. This disease usually coincides with schizotypal, paranoid and preventive personality disorders.
People with schizoid personality disorder rarely experience strong emotions such as anger and joy.
In conclusion, we will make a significant differentiation. A person with a schizoid personality disorder is different from a person with a schizotypal personality disorder. Schizoid personality disorder differs from schizotypic type because in the first case there are no cognitive and perceptual distortions.
In schizotypal personality disorder, in addition to interpersonal and social deficiencies, there is eccentric or strange behavior. Schizotypal people experience strange beliefs or magical thoughts that influence behavior and do not agree with cultural norms. They also have unusual perceptual experiences, such as bodily illusions or paranoid ideas.