Schizoid Personality Disorder

Schizoid personality disorder is a personality disorder characterized by a long-lasting pattern of disconnection in the social sphere. These patients have great difficulty expressing their emotions and are usually cold and distant people.

This alteration of the personality tends to indifference, introversion and distancing from social relationships. They often have great difficulty responding to important life events. They also seem to live as if they are devoid of emotions.

Also, a person with this disorder may appear to lack a desire for intimacy and will avoid close relationships with others. They can spend hours alone and, therefore, could be classified as the typical lonely person. Like the vast majority of personality disorders, it usually begins to develop in early adulthood.

This article will explain the following aspects of schizoid personality disorder:

• Causes.
• Symptoms.
• Treatment.

Why does this disorder develop?

It must be said that still little is known about the causes that cause this disease to develop. However, it is true that both genetic and environmental factors play a very important role in this disorder.

On the one hand, the absence of affection and affection on the part of parents towards patients during childhood is one of the causes that many mental health professionals think could contribute to the development of the pathology.

However, the high morbidity of this disorder in families that have a member who suffers from a mental disorder, such as schizophrenia, suggests that the genetic factor is one of the main causes of the appearance of this alteration.

Despite being related to schizophrenia, genetically speaking, schizoid personality disorder is not as disabling as schizophrenia. It does not cause disconnection from reality (such as hallucinations or delusions).

On the other hand, most professionals opt for a biopsychosocial model of causality. This means that the causes probably come from the presence of several risk factors such as:

• Genetic
• Social.
• Psychological.

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Symptoms

Schizoid personality disorder is characterized by a dominant pattern of detachment in social relationships and little variety in the expression of emotions. It is manifested by 4 or more of the following symptoms:

• Anhedonia (inability to feel pleasure).
• He does not want or enjoy any personal relationship, not even his family.
• Usually chooses to do solitary activities.
• Shows little interest in having sexual experiences.
• He lacks close friends and trustworthy people.
• When he receives a compliment, he is indifferent.
• He is emotionally cold, with detachment or flat affectivity.

Therefore, as we can see, the symptoms of schizoid personality disorder are usually characterized by social isolation. Many people tend to organize their lives to avoid contact with others.

It is a disorder that is not usually diagnosed in childhood or adolescence. This is because a child or adolescent is continuously developing, undergoing changes in both personality and maturation. However, in case the symptoms seen above are diagnosed in a person of this age, they must have been present for at least 1 year.

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Treatment

The main problem in establishing an adequate treatment for these patients is that most do not seek it on their own. For this reason, very little is known about the best treatments for this condition.

We have three treatment options : psychotherapy, drug treatment, and social skills learning.

As for psychotherapy, it is a challenge for the psychotherapist due to the difficulty of establishing relationships on the part of the patient. This situation is usually solved when the specialized person shows a certain distance from the affected person.

This measure is usually combined with pharmacological treatment, administering antipsychotic drugs such as risperidone. On the other hand, in cases that occur with other disorders such as depressive, medication is usually administered to combat its symptoms, such as antidepressants.

Finally, social skills learning focuses on improving coping skills, as well as improving social interaction, communication, and self-esteem.