Schizoid personality disorder is characterized by a longstanding detachment from social functioning, they will have difficulty in expressing their emotions. They usually express their emotions in a restricted range when communicating with others. They usually will not require intimate relationships and close friendships. They always want to spend most of the time alone. They will not socialize with people. The individual with this kind of personality disorder lack to express emotions. Even when they are provoked directly, they cannot get angry. This makes others feel that these types of persons are emotionless. They actually cannot make a goal in their life. We all have our own goals. If a person doesn’t have a goal means how he can continue his life. This direction-less life makes their living more difficult. He will react passively to adverse circumstances. They cannot react appropriately to different situations. They don't only have difficulty in social skills but also in sexual experiences. They usually will not marry. If their work environment will involve interpersonal functioning, then it will be a great failure. If the work needed an isolated environment, then they can do magic with it. Usually the problem of personality disorder is long standing phenomena
Major Symptoms of Schizoid Personality Disorder
Usually a person with Schizophrenia presents a special of detachment and abnormality from the usual social relationships and the presents restricted range of emotional expression in usual interpersonal relationships which will present as the following symptoms.
- Usually they will not be interested to enjoy close personal relationships. The Even family relationship will be felt as a burden for them.
- They always like to take activities which require loneliness.
- They don’t like to have a sexual experience with another person.
- It is difficult to take pleasure in any activity.
- They will make strong bond only with first degree relatives. It is difficult for them to make close friends and confidants.
- They appear to be indifferent to the criticism of others
- They always tend to show a coldness in their emotions, or otherwise show flattened affect.
These symptoms, don’t mean that they lose day to day functional life. They always keep the functional life alive and also they try to maintain contact with reality. It is more commonly found in males than in females.
Causes of Schizoid personality
The main cause of this disease lies idiopathic. But it is clear that the environment and the genetics play a main role in it. Some psychologist says that a childhood which lacks emotional security and warmth can contribute to susceptibility to this disease. We cannot say that all those with schizoid personality disorder have schizophrenia, but some have this.
Diagnosis of Schizoid personality
Diagnosis of schizoid personality can be done through a questionnaire and personality test. Symptoms can also contribute in diagnosis.
Treatment Of Schizoid Personality
People with this kind of disorder will take treatment rarely. This is because we all have these kind of personality in our mind. This will make them to consider that they are normal. In this disorder talking therapy will not be much effective because the person will not be able to express his feeling to the therapist. This will make less difficult for the psychiatrist to start the treatment. It will be difficult for them to make initial relationship with the client.
A non-intrusive supportive group is normally preferred for these kind of clients to alleviate feelings of solitude and fear of social interaction and close relationship. Individual therapy is less preferred because of its ineffectiveness. Medication are usually not used for these kind of personality disorder. But if the person have attacks of anxiety in social functioning, then anti-anxiety medication should be preferred.
Another treatment option is psychotherapy. In long term treatment individual psychotherapy has certain benefits. It will help to give the patient an outlet to transform his false perception of friendship into authentic relationship. When a therapist client relationship develops, it begins an imaginary friend and terror of dependency with client. It can develop as a strong relationship. Long term psychotherapy sessions are not usually prescribed due to its poor outcome. It is also a costly thing. The therapies should be focused on small goals which are set to alleviate current problems of the client. Cognitive-restructuring can also be done to decrease the effect of irrational thinking that negatively affects the client. A good treatment always involves stability and support. The therapist should take care not to smother the person and the therapist should be able to tolerate with the acting-out from the patient. Group therapy is another effective form of treatment. It is not enough good to start it as an initial treatment.
