Question

compare and contrast schizoid personality disorder from schizotypal personality disorder. for this discussion you will need to place particular emphasis on how comprehensive assessment could help us to arrive at the correct diagnosis

Answer 1

People with schizotypal personality disorder are often described as odd or eccentric and usually have few, if any, close relationships. They generally don't understand how relationships form or the impact of their behavior on others. They may also misinterpret others' motivations and behaviors and develop significant distrust of others.

On the other hand, Schizoid personality disorder is an uncommon condition in which people avoid social activities and consistently shy away from interaction with others. They also have a limited range of emotional expression.

Symptoms of Schizotypal personality disorder and schizoid personality disorder.

Schizotypal personality disorder typically includes five or more of these signs and symptoms:

• Being a loner and lacking close friends outside of the immediate family
• Flat emotions or limited or inappropriate emotional responses
• Persistent and excessive social anxiety
• Incorrect interpretation of events, such as a feeling that something that is actually harmless or inoffensive has a direct personal meaning
• Peculiar, eccentric or unusual thinking, beliefs or mannerisms
• Suspicious or paranoid thoughts and constant doubts about the loyalty of others
• Belief in special powers, such as mental telepathy or superstitions
• Unusual perceptions, such as sensing an absent person's presence or having illusions
• Dressing in peculiar ways, such as appearing unkempt or wearing oddly matched clothes
• Peculiar style of speech, such as vague or unusual patterns of speaking, or rambling oddly during conversations. Symptoms for schizoid personality disorder, are :
• Prefer being alone and choose to do activities alone
• Don't want or enjoy close relationships
• Feel little if any desire for sexual relationships
• Feel like you can't experience pleasure
• Have difficulty expressing emotions and reacting appropriately to situations
• May seem humorless, indifferent or emotionally cold to others
• May appear to lack motivation and goals
• .Schizoid versus schizotypal
• Comfort level – A person with SzPD hardly cares about this condition or tries to enhance their life. Alternatively, the one struggling with STPD finds their situation uneasy, because they feel extremely anxious and depressed in maintaining personal or social relationships. Therefore the possibility that people with STPD seek treatment is more.
• Behaviour – The set of thoughts and actions of people with STPD are eccentric, odd, and bizarre. These people seem different in a crowd concerning appearance and communication with others.
• Don't react to praise or critical remarks from others.
• Diagnostic Assessment includes :
• Schizophrenia (Schizoid) – People with SzPD generally don’t experience perceptual or cognitive disturbances like hallucinations or paranoia.
• Schizotypal (STPD) – People with STPD experience perceptual or mental disturbances.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) – People with SzPD avoids social functioning due to general disinterest. On the other hand, social functioning impairment is severe in people with STPD.
• Avoidant personality disorder (AVPD) – People with SzPD wants social interaction but are afraid of rejection or embarrassment. On the other hand, Schizotypal person is totally unconcerned about social contact.
• Depression – It is a pervasive mood disturbance, which is not visible in SzPD. Majority of Schizotypal disorder suffer from an episode of extreme depression once in their lifetime.

• Specific criteria outlined in DSM-5 are applied to diagnose schizoid or schizotypal personality disorder. Minimum four of the given criteria need to be present.

• Prefer solitary activities even jobs
• No interest in forming a close relationship even with family
• Hardly enjoys activities
• Lacks close friends or relative
• Appears emotionally cold or detached or reveals a flattened effect
• Looks uninterested towards compliment or condemnation