The Schizoid personality Disorder it is a personality disorder due to a pattern of detachment from social relationships and a very limited range of emotions in interpersonal situations.
Others may describe you as "distant," "cold," and "indifferent" to others. This is because they do not desire or enjoy closeness to others, including sexual or love affairs..
It seems that there are some schizoid people who are sensitive to the opinions of others, although they are not able or unwilling to express them. For this guy, social isolation could be painful.
These people see themselves as observers rather than participants in the social world, have poor empathy, and often have inhibited affect (neither positive nor negative emotions).
Article index
People with a schizoid personality are loners and may have some of these symptoms:
More research is needed on the genetic, neurobiological, and psychosocial causes of schizoid personality disorder. Interestingly, social preferences resemble those of autism.
Autism is characterized by the impairment of social interaction and ignorance of others, or the emotionless response to them. This indifference is very similar in schizoid people, although they do not have problems with language.
Just as biological causes have been identified for autism, it is possible that this disorder is a combination of biological dysfunction and early problems in interpersonal relationships.
In terms of neurophysiology, research on dopamine suggests that those with a lower density of receptors score highly in “detachment”. This neurotransmitter may contribute to the social distancing of people with this disorder.
A) A general pattern of distancing from social relationships and restriction of emotional expression at the interpersonal level, which begins in early adulthood and occurs in various contexts, as indicated by four (or more) of the following points :
B) These characteristics do not appear exclusively in the course of schizophrenia, a mood disorder with psychotic symptoms, or another psychotic disorder, and are not due to the direct physiological effects of a general medical condition..
According to the World Health Organization classifies this characterized by at least four of the following criteria:
Schizoid personality disorder shares some conditions with other conditions, although there are characteristics that differentiate them:
The psychologist Theodore Millon identified four subtypes of people with schizoid personality:
It is rare that subjects with PTSD go to therapy on their own initiative, therefore the treatment would be somewhat complicated, since the patient does not show the necessary motivation or desire for change.
At the beginning of the therapy we would mark the main objectives to be achieved. These would be based above all on the deficiencies of the patient, which in this case would be the experimentation of feelings such as joy, pain or anger.
Once the first objectives have been achieved, new subgoals to be achieved will be developed together with the patient..
Another objective that we could write down in this case would be, for example, the reduction of social isolation. For this, it would be interesting to carry out an activity accompanied by a friend or relative
In this way we would be improving the interpersonal relationships that it lacks and at the same time increasing its motivation, which is so important to be able to continue exceeding the proposed objectives..
Next I will briefly comment on which techniques are the most used to treat patients with PTSD. All these techniques can be used in combination with each other and with a good knowledge of both the evaluation and the limitations of each technique..
These are used to promote all kinds of social skills and thus be able to teach patients how to establish good interpersonal relationships.
To achieve this we can use both imitation (role playing) and in vivo exposure, video recordings are also very useful for them to realize how they act and can be seen later to correct any difficulties that arise..
It is necessary to emphasize that before using any technique we must know the patient's behavior very well and carry out an exhaustive review of their medical and personal history..
This type of technique can even become a problem for everyone who suffers from PTSD, since having to establish a relationship with the therapist can be difficult or even worthless.
In the opposite case that the patient shows a positive attitude towards social skills, an attempt could be made to carry out a group therapy, in order to motivate and facilitate social attitudes and get them to interact with outsiders.
It is also used among other therapies, family therapy Y partner, Above all so that family members have all the information about the disease, what is its evolution and prognosis, and therefore be able to offer the patient the appropriate help.
On the other hand, the use of psychoanalytic strategies, It would also be very useful in this type of patients because they have somewhat complex intrapsychic emotions and defenses that it is necessary to know in depth for a good recovery.
Finally we would talk about the treatment with psychotropic drugs, This would be very useful especially to promote their initial motivation and their affectivity, through stimulants.
Once the necessary motivation to continue with the treatment is achieved, we will reduce the doses until we completely abandon it..
It is necessary to emphasize that during the period of time that the treatment is prolonged, risks such as abandonment or possible relapses may arise. For this not to happen, the patient must be convinced that the therapy has favored him and has managed to obtain some positive value, it will also be necessary to schedule follow-up sessions to know the evolution of the patient.
Finally, another of the therapies that are currently on the rise and which has achieved successful results in various disorders is cognitive behavioral therapy..
To begin, it is convenient for the therapist to point out the importance of social relationships and teach the emotions that others feel, to promote empathy.
Therefore, social skills training is important, with the therapist acting as a friend or acquaintance. Role playing allows the patient to practice social skills and maintain them.
Long-term therapy has few results in these patients. It is convenient for therapy to focus on achieving simple goals such as restructuring irrational thought patterns that influence asocial behaviors..
Medication is not usually recommended for this disorder, although it can be used to treat short-term conditions such as anxiety attacks or social phobia.
Among the various factors that can increase the development of PTSD, we find different types:
After various scientific studies, it is still not possible to verify that PTSD is genetically inherited, but nevertheless, there are some biological aspects that have been able to influence its development.
It is considered that in PTSD there is an added risk factor, and this would be relationship and attachment problems during childhood, which will lead to possible social deficits in adulthood.
Regarding the neurological structures of everyone who suffers from PTSD, there could be some differences due to the inability of these patients to show their feelings or emotions.
One thing to keep in mind is that if during childhood they show a low sensory response, motor passivity and are easy to handle, this could be an indicator of future inactivity that they will have and a lack of emotional tone.
Lastly, activation and affectivity deficits may also be related to an adrenergic-cholinergic imbalance. Also, problems may arise due to neurohormonal alterations, due to excesses or deficiencies of acetylcholine and norepinephrine, which could cause cognitive avoidance or affective deficits..
The lack of stimuli in care during childhood produces a lack of emotional learning and maturation, essential to establish interpersonal relationships and create secure attachment bonds during their development.
By learning the pattern of interpersonal relationships to which they have been exposed during their childhood, children will develop a social and emotional emptiness and insensitivity..
Therefore, a family environment will be necessary where dialogue and communication among its members prevail..
Family members use poor and cold communication, causing the necessary interpersonal communication patterns not to develop properly. With which, this child in adulthood will not create bonds and will be treated in isolation, having an attitude of indifference towards others.
Schizoid people are at higher risk of:
Personality disorder is schizoid occurs mostly in men and is rare compared to other personality disorders, with an estimated prevalence of less than 1% in the general population.
Yet No Comments