Schizotypal personality disorder, what is it and how to detect it

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Basil Manning
Schizotypal personality disorder, what is it and how to detect it

Schizotypal Personality Disorder is a disorder that is fundamentally characterized by a pattern of eccentric behaviors that is manifested in aspects such as speech, image or an unusual ideation in the form of cognitive distortions, as well as a low ability to form personal relationships.

Someone with schizotypal disorder may feel extreme discomfort with interpersonal relationships of all kinds, and therefore has no capacity to maintain them.

The DSM-V, diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, includes schizotypal personality disorder in Group A disorders, also called rare or eccentric disorders, which are characterized by secluded, strange or suspicious behavior.

Like all personality disorders, schizotypal disorder is characterized by a long-term pattern of specific behaviors and experiences that make normal daily functioning difficult..

Contents

  • How is it different from schizophrenia or schizoid disorder?
  • What are the symptoms of Schizotypal Personality Disorder?
    • Other features of this disorder
  • Treatment of schizotypal personality disorder

How is it different from schizophrenia or schizoid disorder?

Schizotypal personality disorder is often confused with other similarities such as schizoid disorder or schizophrenia. The three disorders are on the same continuum in which schizoid disorder is at a milder extreme and schizophrenia is at the most severe extreme, with schizotypal disorder occurring between these two.

Schizotypal disorder seems to share a certain genetic relationship with schizophrenia, but unlike it, this disorder is more moderate and does not present the symptoms of disconnection from the reality of schizophrenia, such as hallucinations, psychosis or large-scale delusions of its own of this.

Schizoid personality disorder is also found on the spectrum of eccentric personality disorders, however, unlike schizotypal disorder, its main symptom is a lack of desire for personal relationships, as well as a restriction of emotional expression and not these eccentric behaviors and cognitive distortions are found.

What are the symptoms of Schizotypal Personality Disorder?

The symptoms of schizotypal disorder must be evaluated by mental health professionals and comprise a combination of eccentric behaviors, as well as distorted thoughts and perceptions. It is common for people with this disorder to be described by others as very strange and with unusual ideas and even magical beliefs. Some of the characteristics that usually describe people with schizotypal disorder are:

  • Having eccentric beliefs or magical thoughts such as superstitions, telepathy, or "sixth sense." They can see themselves as having psychic powers.
  • Tendency to misinterpret everyday events or have distorted perceptions of reality.
  • Have an image and dress, a way of speaking and acting that is peculiar or unusual.
  • Showing paranoid or suspicious behavior towards others.
  • These people may feel uncomfortable in intimacy, as well as have few friends.
  • They tend to be preoccupied with fantasy thoughts and frequent daydreams.
  • In their relationships with others, people affected by this disorder can be distant, rigid and cold.

Other features of this disorder

Schizotypal personality disorder occurs more frequently in men than in women and, as with other personality disorders, is chronic. The symptoms are usually present constantly and may also include other symptoms such as anxiety or depression. In addition, they may present deficits in cognitive abilities such as memory, learning or attention.

Some experts attribute this disorder, like other similar disorders, to biological causes, although it is not yet clear why some people have more or less severe symptoms.

Treatment of schizotypal personality disorder

To treat this personality disorder, both pharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatments are usually combined, always prescribed by a mental health professional.

Being a disorder that affects different aspects of life, treatment is usually a combination of cognitive-behavioral therapies that can affect many facets of the patient's life, such as improving socialization or helping to identify and change irrational thoughts and distorted that these people present. They can also receive therapies to achieve a better adaptation to daily life and better family functioning.

As pharmacological treatment, although there are no specific medications that treat the general disorder, medications that affect specific symptoms are usually prescribed, such as low-dose antipsychotics to reduce distorted thoughts, anxiolytics or antidepressants to treat symptoms of anxiety and depression respectively..

If you or someone you know has the above symptoms and you think your daily life may be affected by them, do not hesitate to consult a mental health professional.


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