Schizoid personality disorder is a type of psychopathy, whose distinctive feature is the reduced ability of emotional experiences. Visually discern such a disease is almost impossible - apparently healthy people and patients are not much different. It is possible to identify the disease by observing the behavior of an individual surrounded by other people. As a rule, such people prefer to limit and avoid interacting with outsiders, and spending time alone will be most comfortable for them. At the same time, timidity, shyness is not peculiar to such patients. There are many cases where schizoid disorder was observed in those who persistently achieved the goal.
Where did the trouble come from?
Currently, doctors still do not know exactly the causes of schizoid personality disorder. There are several theories that have their admirers and opponents, but not one of the assumptions has yet been proven to the extent that they are considered absolute truth. Many are convinced that such a mental deviation develops in individuals who are faced with the inability to satisfy their needs in interacting with other representatives of society. Another option for explaining the pathology is lack of thinking, which does not allow patients to capture the emotional state of others, and therefore correctly respond to it. At the same time, intelligence can be very high. Finally, there is a version explaining the disease with disorders in the endocrine system. Others believe that pathology is due to a hereditary factor.
Often the diagnosis of schizoid personality disorder is made by survivors of psychological trauma during gestation or in infancy. For example, if during pregnancy the mother often found herself in stressful situations or became a victim of violence, the mental, emotional state greatly affects the hatching embryo. The child feels a threat that in the future will become a cause of persistent distrust of the participants in society. A sense of danger and fright can be triggered by an early separation from the mother, therefore, such deviations are often observed in inmates of orphanages or children taken from mothers due to complications during childbirth. This situation is also typical for families where the mother died giving birth to a child. The baby feels in danger, which triggers the mechanism of mental deviations.
What to look for?
The wrong personality approach to raising a child can provoke a schizoid personality disorder. The danger factors are the restriction of interaction with parents, peers, regular exposure to stress factors and the conflict situation in the house, quarrels of elders in the presence of the baby. Schizoid disorder is observed if the child is forced to grow up early due to some factors, and is also subject to overly pronounced parental care.
To identify the deviation, it makes sense to consider examples of schizoid personality disorder. It is noticeable that all such people differ from healthy people in their ability to express emotions. They are characterized by extremes, one-sided feelings, and temperament is anesthesia or hyperesthesia in a very pronounced form. Based on the predominance of specific traits, all patients are divided into two categories - expressive and sensitive patients.
And if in more detail?
An expressive person with schizoid personality disorder is determined and quick-tempered, often allows himself rude behavior, does not listen to other people's opinions. Mostly such persons adhere to the official line of behavior, and are indifferent and cold to others. Even in a difficult life situation, they cannot afford to trust other people, which over time becomes the foundation for the formation of a persecution mania. As can be seen from medical practice, many patients with such a mental disability occupy leadership positions. Rude in their behavior, these individuals are vulnerable, which makes social interaction especially difficult for them.
In case of the sensitive type, the signs of schizoid personality disorder are an extremely sensitive (beyond measure) character, the desire to by all means avoid conflicts, stressful situations, scandals. Patients are characterized by pronounced narcissism, vindictiveness. People with schizoid disorder are not inclined to forget their grievances, although they can assure with all their strength that they have forgotten and forgiven. If an established lifestyle suddenly changes, it becomes the cause of a variety of disorders. Appetite disappears, sleep is disturbed, a person becomes even more alienated.
How to notice?
Symptoms of schizoid personality disorder include specific facial expressions, gestures. From the side of the movement it seems unnatural, not plastic enough. If you evaluate social interaction, you can notice a small number of friends - no more than two, but with others, a person supports only formal social interaction. During a conversation, people with a mental disability prefer not to look in the eye, instead they lower their heads or look away. Mostly all the described nuances by others are perceived as an individual, therefore they do not cause any concern.
For the first time, symptoms of schizoid personality disorder can be seen already in a three-year-old child. Such children prefer to spend time alone, do not show affection for their parents, like quiet games, are not interested in interacting with peers. Over time, the situation remains virtually unchanged, they prefer reading books to their classmates, and are not interested in other people's opinions because of too high self-esteem. Typically, the individual makes no attempt to establish contacts with others, which leads to rejection in society, children become outcasts.
Development: do not stand still
As a teenager, a person with schizoid personality disorder regularly encounters many inconveniences, but parents are no less difficult. Since the child is passionate about learning, he gets good grades, which becomes the basis for an even greater overestimation of self-esteem. At the same time, the inability to establish contact with peers becomes the reason for the low assessment of their social abilities. Increased self-criticism leads to a deep immersion in one’s own inner world, its own problems. Parents often become a source of irritation, as they try to take measures to help the child, which is perceived as an attempt to control every step.
What to do?
The treatment of schizoid personality disorder involves an integrated approach combining a medical course and group psychotherapy. From practice, it is known that people are often sent for treatment against their will, due to the inability and unwillingness of productive interaction with others. A mental disorder provokes the patient's incredulity, and a person gets to a psychiatrist for treatment accidentally and involuntarily. A fairly classic option is to refer patients to the hospital due to some problem that is not related to schizoid disorder, but during the examination, the doctor additionally sends to a psychiatrist for a full analysis of the client's characteristics. Of course, there are known cases when people with mental disabilities themselves came for the purpose of treatment, but this is more an exception than a rule. Typically, individuals do not perceive their special features as something out of the norm.
Although the treatment of schizoid personality disorder with medications is practiced, it shows a low degree of effectiveness, because at the moment there simply are no means that can cure such a disease. The use of modern and effective medicines helps to get rid of anxiety, the manifestations of depression inherent in mental deviation. Cognitive therapy is a more effective approach that helps to adapt the patient to a variety of situations, to teach him adequate social interaction, to help understand, show emotions correctly.
Not easy, but effective
The most reasonable approach to treating schizoid personality disorder is group therapy. In practice, it is far from always possible to realize it; most patients are afraid to undergo such therapy, which forces them to open their own inner world, fears, to others. If the patient nevertheless decided on treatment, it is during group therapy that social interaction skills are most successfully formed.
However, even a patient who is ready for non-standard actions can hardly succeed if he comes across a low-skilled doctor. It is important to work with a professional who is able to correctly interact with a person suffering from schizoid personality disorder. Communicating with such people requires a manifestation of extremely limited perseverance, otherwise there is a high probability of setting a person against yourself, causing him even more distrust.
Official aspects
Characterization of schizoid personality disorder is given in ICD-10, where the pathology is encoded as F60.1. An official international classification requires that patients be named schizoid. Under the disease is interpreted a conscious desire to avoid contact with others. Often, among other representatives of society, patients are considered to be such “modern hermits,” since they are not characterized by close relationships, but sincere love for loneliness. Basically, individuals cannot maintain relationships with other participants in the human community for a long time.
ICD-10 indicates which symptoms should be addressed during the diagnosis of schizoid personality disorder. The doctor must evaluate the vividness of the patient's facial expressions, paradox. Schizoids are characterized by angular movements, weak voice modulation and monophonic speech, disharmony. Many have unnatural motility, they tend to dress in accordance with the chosen style, and patients follow it very, very persistently. It can be aristocracy - catchy, defiant and pretentious, negligence - intentional, cutting eyes.
Daily routine and disease
Mostly schizoids are people working in an area that does not require too active social contacts, although if necessary they can cooperate for a long time and fruitfully. Deep knowledge and the ability to understand the essence of the issue become the reason for moving up the career ladder up to important posts. At the same time, the behavioral features characteristic of schizoids do not allow the pathology to be corrected outside the clinic walls, since there are no conditions for the formation of social skills. There are cases when individuals with such a deviation entered into marital relations, but mainly families soon split up, since the patient is not interested in maintaining relations with loved ones. As a rule, marriages are unhappy, unsuccessful.
At the same time, for disability, schizoid personality disorder is an insufficient factor. Such a diagnosis indicates specific personality traits that require adjustment, but the person at the same time remains able to work. In rare cases, when the disease is very difficult, and prolonged therapy (at least a year) does not show a result, the doctor may raise the issue of assigning the status of a disabled person, but this is more an exception than a rule.
The smallest: rare, but noticeable
Such cases are known when the first symptomatology of deviations is obvious even before reaching the age of one year. Considering the danger of schizoid personality disorder in such a situation, it should be noted that the manifestations are similar to early autism, while there is an inability to form emotional connections, the development of the child is impaired. Such babies behave uniformly and with difficulty adapt, cannot master the ways of serving themselves, even the simplest ones. Typically, patients experience delays in the development of speech skills. Over time, the situation may even out if there is no manifestation of the disease. The signs are compensated, children are usually compared with peers closer to age, when it comes time to study at school. Even if the signs of autism persist, such babies are able to study on an equal basis with everyone, the opportunities for acquiring a profession are open to them.
At any age, only a qualified doctor can make a diagnosis. The doctor evaluates different aspects of the patient's daily routine. ICD-10 establishes that schizoid people are those who show cold emotion, are incapable of affection for others and do not perceive reasons for joy, and are not interested or are weakly interested in sexual intercourse. During the examination, it is important to diagnose correctly so as not to confuse the disorder with other mental disorders expressed by similar symptoms.
Behavior and important points
Pathology, currently indicated by the term considered in the material, was previously called schizoid psychopathy in medicine. For persons subject to such deviations, a rich inner world, formed by fantasies, is characteristic. People lock themselves in it, avoiding (if possible) contacts with others. The rules, the rules for them, as if not written, people are struggling to prevent the absorption of their individuality by the gray mass of society. Perhaps the worst thing for people with such a deviation is to be similar to others, which causes the corresponding behavior.
Choosing a line of behavior, people theorize a lot, tend to put the intellect “in the forefront” and subordinate to it all their actions and actions. This helps to reduce dependence on the emotional sphere and prevent too close contacts with other people. The main goal pursued by the patient is to move away from the others as much as possible and get maximum independence, while not breaking off ties with society completely. The formation of clearly defined boundaries is perceived by people as a guarantee of their own integrity, security.
And close and far
The international classifier, containing a mention of all diseases recognized on our planet, classifies schizoid disorder as personal psychopathy, therefore, all the signs typical of this group of pathologies are characteristic of such a deviation. Schizoid disorder affects all vital areas of the patient, affects his daily life, dictates the rules and future of a person. The deviation is static - it was observed in the past and, without adequate treatment, persists in the future, and at the same time it is an obstacle to the social adaptation of a person.
With schizoid personality disorder, the patient is not characterized by emotion, warmth, anger, discontent. A person does not allow himself to show such emotions, even if they arise. External condemnation, approval also do not provoke a response. When observing a schizoid, one can immediately see that for such a person the rules and laws established in society mean very little. Some patients seem to be “similar to mimosa”, they are hypersensitive, vulnerable, very worried about and even without it (from the point of view of an ordinary person). For such an individual, it is completely unrepresentable, unacceptable to become a participant in a dispute, debate, even if we are talking about banal situations inherent in human everyday life and due to the difference in points of view of different people.