Schizoid personality disorder
| Schizoid personality disorder | |
|---|---|
| Classification and external resources | |
| Specialty | Psychiatry |
| ICD-10 | F60.1 |
| ICD-9-CM | 301.20 |
| MedlinePlus | 000920 |
| MeSH | D012557 |
Schizoid personality disorder (SPD) is a personality disorder characterized by a lack of interest in social relationships, a tendency towards a solitary or sheltered lifestyle, secretiveness, emotional coldness, and apathy. Affected individuals may simultaneously demonstrate a rich, elaborate and exclusively internal fantasy world.
SPD is not to be confused with schizophrenia or schizotypal personality disorder. There is however evidence of links and shared genetic risk between SPD, other cluster A personality disorders and schizophrenia. Thus, SPD is thought to be part of the "schizophrenic spectrum disorders".
Critics argue that the definition of SPD is flawed due to cultural bias and that it does not constitute a mental disorder but simply an avoidant attachment style requiring more distant emotional proximity. If that is true, then many of the more problematic reactions these individuals show in social situations may be partly accounted for by the judgments commonly imposed on people with this style. However, it is important to note that impairment is mandatory for any behaviour to be diagnosed as a personality disorder. And SPD seems to satisfy this criterion because it is linked to a significantly compromised quality of life and a negative GAF score even 15 years later.
People with schizoid personality disorder are often aloof, cold, and indifferent, which causes interpersonal difficulty. Most individuals diagnosed with SPD have trouble establishing personal relationships or expressing their feelings meaningfully. They may remain passive in the face of unfavorable situations. Their communication with other people may be indifferent and terse at times. Because of their lack of meaningful communication with other people, those who are diagnosed with SPD are not able to develop accurate impressions of how well they get along with others.
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