Schizoid Personality Disorder

Schizoid Personality Disorder

Schizoid personality disorder is a pattern of indifference to social relationships, with a limited range of emotional expression and experience. People with schizoid personality disorder rarely feel there is anything wrong with them. The disorder manifests itself by early adulthood through social and emotional detachments that prevent people from having close relationships. Crucially, people with schizoid personality disorder are in touch with reality, unlike those with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.

Features 

The essential features of Schizoid Disorder are:

1.     a pervasive pattern of detachment from social relationships and a restricted range of expression of emotions in interpersonal settings. This pattern begins by early adulthood and is present in a variety of contexts.

2.     appear to lack a desire for intimacy, seem indifferent to opportunities to develop close relationships, and do not seem to derive much satisfaction from being part of a family or other social group

3.     they prefer spending time by themselves, rather than being with other people. They often appear to be socially isolated or "loners" and almost always choose solitary activities or hobbies that do not include interaction with others

4.     They prefer mechanical or abstract tasks, such as computer or mathematical games. They may have very little interest in having sexual experiences with another person and take pleasure in few, if any, activities

5.     These individuals have no close friends or confidants, except possibly a first-degree relative

6.     often seem indifferent to the approval or criticism of others and do not appear to be bothered by what others may think of them

Symptoms

According to the DSM-5, symptoms of schizoid personality disorder include the following:  

• Does not desire or enjoy close relationships
• Appears aloof and detached
• Avoids social activities that involve significant contact with other people
• Almost always chooses solitary activities
• Little or no interest in sexual experiences with another person
• Lacks close relationships other than with immediate relatives
• Indifferent to praise or criticism
• Shows emotional coldness, detachment, or flattened affect
• Exhibits little observable change in mood
• Takes pleasure in few if any activities

Diagnosis

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

2.     Does not occur exclusively during the course of schizophrenia, a bipolar disorder or depressive disorder with psychotic features, another psychotic disorder, or autism spectrum disorder and is not attributable to the physiological effects of another medical condition.

Treatment 

Medications are not usually recommended for schizoid personality disorder. However, they are sometimes used for short-term treatment of extreme anxiety states associated with the disorder.
Individual therapy that successfully attains a long-term level of trust may be useful, as it helps people with the disorder to establish authentic relationships, in cases where this is desired. Individual psychotherapy can gradually affect the formation of a true relationship between the patient and therapist.
Long-term psychotherapy should not be pursued because this disorder is difficult to ameliorate. Instead, therapy should focus on simple treatment goals to alleviate current pressing concerns or stressors within the individual's life. Cognitive-restructuring may be proper to address certain types of clear, irrational thoughts that are negatively influencing the patient's behaviors.