Schizoid Personality Disorder

Unlike people with schizotypal personality disorder who may have one or two semi-close relationships, people with schizoid personality disorder are extreme loners and rarely have any close relationships. The major characteristics of schizoid personality disorder are:

• No desire for social relationshipsPeople with schizoid personality disorder have no desire to form close relationships. They may form stablerelationships with family members or other people but they lack the ability to form close relationships.
• Little or no sex driveIndividuals with this disorder have little sex drive and rarely date or marry. Men are more likely to remain single than women probably because they lack the social skills to initiate courtships. Women may passively date and marry, but will remain emotionally aloof.
• Preference for solitary activities Some people with schizoid personality disorder are very creative, especially with art in the form of painting, sculpting, drawing, etc. Art may take the place of relationships. They typically remain in low level jobs that require little interpersonal contact.
• Limited range of emotionsThey have a restricted range of emotions in social settings. This is often described as coldness, detachment, or flatteness. People with this disorder appear to be indifferent to compliments and criticisms. They take little or no joy in activities or in life.

Symptoms A pervasive pattern of detachment from social relationships and a restricted range of expression of emotions in interpersonal settings, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by four (or more) of the following:

• neither desires nor enjoys close relationships, including being part of a family
• almost always chooses solitary activities
• has little, if any, interest in having sexual experiences with another person
• takes pleasure in few, if any, activities
• lacks close friends or confidants other than first-degree relatives
• appears indifferent to the praise or criticism of others
• shows emotional coldness, detachment, or flattened affectivity