Schizoid Personality Disorder: What is it?

Do you know what a personality disorder is? It consists of a behavioral pattern and internal experience that prevents us from adapting to life, and that causes us discomfort. There are more than 10 personality disorders, according to the DSM and the ICD.

In this article we will explain what a personality disorder implies, and we will analyze one of them: schizoid personality disorder. We will know its 8 fundamental characteristics, as well as its prevalence, frequency between men and women, evolution, etc.

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Schizoid Personality Disorder: What is it?

Schizoid personality disorder is one of the more than 10 personality disorders that exist. It was proposed by the Swiss psychiatrist and eugenicist Eugen Bleuler. This disorder is characterized by a pattern of distancing from social relationships and restriction of emotional expression in the interpersonal field.

That is, the people who suffer from it are people who have no interest in relating to others, who prefer to "isolate themselves" and avoid social contact; this actually happens to them because they do not enjoy social relationships.

This is a rare personality disorder in the clinical setting.. Its prevalence is higher in men than in women (although the difference is not significant). Furthermore, in men, schizoid personality disorder becomes more disabling than in women.

Regarding its family pattern, this disorder is usually more common in people with relatives who suffer from schizophrenia or a schizotypal personality disorder.

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Personality disorders: what are they?

Before getting into schizoid personality disorder, let's see what a personality disorder (PD) is, according to the different reference manuals (DSM and ICD).

A PD consists of a permanent pattern of internal experience and behavior that deviates markedly from the expectations of the subject's culture. A) Yes, these people show great difficulties to "adapt" to life, or to "fit" into the world. As a result, they can present a significant associated discomfort.

The deviation that occurs in the pattern of behavior affects two or more areas of the following:

• Cognition
• Affectivity
• Impulse control and wish fulfillment
• How you relate to others
• Handling interpersonal situations

Characteristics of the TP

Why do these patterns that we mention cause such a serious alteration of the personality? Because they are inflexible (rigid) patterns, which also extend to a wide range of personal and social situations.

This deviation from the "norm" or from "society" is stable and long-standing, that is, it is not limited to specific episodes. Thus, the personality and behavior of the subject are globally affected or altered.

The onset of a personality disorder always dates back to adolescence or early adulthood. In addition, the criteria to meet a personality disorder must manifest for at least 1 year.

Characteristics of schizoid personality disorder

Now, we are going to analyze schizoid personality disorder. We find 8 fundamental characteristics in this TP. These refer to the behavior of these people, their way of relating, interests, etc. Let's get to know them.

1. They do not enjoy social relationships

The central feature of schizoid personality disorder is the absence of enjoyment with social relationships. This includes being part of a family (that is, people with this personality disorder do not enjoy it).

Thus, there is also a disconnection of social relationships.

2. Solitary activities

These people almost always choose solitary activities, due to the above characteristic. I mean, they enjoy doing things alone.

3. Little interest in sex

In the sexual field, people with schizoid personality disorder have little or no interest in having sex with other people.

4. Type of activities

These people, in addition, although they can enjoy a certain activity, the truth is that they find few activities that motivate them (in some cases, none).

5. Intimate friends

They also have no close friends, other than first-degree relatives. This is explained, like many of the previous characteristics, by their lack of interest in others (due to the absence of social enjoyment).

6. Indifference to criticism

People with schizoid personality disorder show indifference to criticism from others; They do not care if they criticize them. This is also extrapolated to compliments, since they are also indifferent to them. It is as if the opinion of others never matters to them.

7. Emotional coldness

Another characteristic of this personality disorder is emotional coldness, as well as detachment or flattening of affectivity. That is, they are cold people, who find it difficult to empathize or feel compassion for someone, for example.

On the other hand, affective flattening consists of the absence of expression and experimentation of emotions.

8. Restriction of emotional expression

Very in line with the previous characteristic, there is this other: a restriction of emotional expression.

Risk for other disorders

The fact of manifesting a schizoid personality disorder carries an added risk of manifesting other mental disorders (or psychopathological alterations), such as:

• Psychotic episodes in the face of stress
• Delusional disorder
• Schizophrenia
• Major depressive disorder

As we can see, they are pathologies above all belonging to the field of psychotic disorders.

Etiological hypotheses

There is no single proven cause of schizoid personality disorder. It is believed that its origin is multifactorial, with social, genetic, environmental, etc. causes that explain it.

The etiological hypotheses that have been proposed for this personality disorder are primarily biological. The three most important are those that propose, as a cause of the disorder:

• Reticular formation deficits
• Congenital aplasia of the limbic system
• Neurotransmitter deficits

Group A of Personality Disorders

The Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) proposes to classify personality disorders (PD) into three groups: group A, group B and group C.

Group A includes disorders that involve "weirdness or extravagance", group B "dramatic or immature", and group C "recklessness and anxiety". Thus, schizoid personality disorder is included in the first group, in group A.

Group A disorders present the following characteristics: introversion, low sociability and high psychoticism. They are disorders that hardly change throughout life, as occurs with schizoid PD.

Bibliographic references

• American Psychiatric Association -APA- (2014). DSM-5. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Madrid: Panamericana.

• American Psychiatric Association -APA- (2002). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR. Barcelona: Masson.

• WHO (2000). ICD-10. International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Edition. Madrid. Pan American.