Anybody know anything about schizotypal personality disorder?

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Is there a cure? Is it something treatable with medication? Does it slowly get more severe?
Here's the definition right out of the American Psychiatric Associations' Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM):

A)A pervasive pattern of social and interpersonal deficits marked by acute discomfort with, and reduced capacity for, close relationships as well as by cognitive or perceptual distortions and eccentricities of behavior, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:
1) ideas of reference (excluding delusions of reference)
2) odd beliefs or magical thinking that influences behavior and is inconsistent with subcultural norms (e.g., superstitiousness, belief in clairvoyance, telepathy, or "sixth sense"; in children and adolescents, bizarre fantasies or preoccupations)
3) unusual perceptual experiences, including bodily illusions
4) odd thinking and speech (e.g., vague, circumstantial, metaphorical, overelaborate, or stereotyped)
5) suspiciousness or paranoid ideation
6) inappropriate or constricted affect
7) behavior or appearance that is odd, eccentric, or peculiar
8) lack of close friends or confidants other than first-degree relatives
9) excessive social anxiety that does not diminish with familiarity and tends to be associated with paranoid fears rather than negative judgments about self
B. Does not occur exclusively during the course of Schizophrenia, a Mood Disorder With Psychotic Features, another Psychotic Disorder, or a Pervasive Developmental Disorder.

There is some evidence that it can be treated with the newer antipsychotic medications (e.g., risperidone).  (+ info)

Anyone else got schizotypal personality disorder? How does it affect you?

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My psychiatrist labelled me it after first labelling me schizophrenic.
zyxz - *yawn*
My son had the same diagnosis and was put on anti-psychotic medication. His problems started as a student. mainly with personal problems and feelings of isolation. This also coincided with a period of cannabis use. The cannabis could have been the catalyst which triggered the problem. Afetr 6 years of up and downs and much research by his Mum we came to the conclusion that the drugs were causing most of the problem and he should not have been put onto them. They actually put people into a state of drug induced psychosis. The brain adapts eventually to them and everything can appear normal. Talk therapy, love and understanding are far more efective. Coming off drugs is a very dangerous time, and his also applies to anti-depressants. You only have to read between the lines of all these reported massacres and cases where a parent has murdered their kids and then attempted suicide. Somewhere you wil inevitably read that they were taking ant-depressants. Often people with these diagnoses will be creative and intelligent and their personalities might not be conventional. Many great artists and thinkers could have been diagnosed schizophrenic by the drug company initiated medical practitioners.  (+ info)

what is schizotypal personality disorder?

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my dad has it and i don't know what it is. is it the same as schizophrenia or does it mean hes crazy
  (+ info)

is this Avoidant personality disorder or Schizotypal personality disorder?

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a person doesn't want to be near people due to the fear if he makes a mistake he'll be laugh at, but he can still socialize with those people if he wanted to and then he'll feel he's losing interest then leave as soon as possible to be alone because he likes to think of things alone.
okay another thing. He CAN talk to strangers but he feels more comfortable if they're older and after the conversation if it feels boring he'll just leave
You are talking about Social Anxiety Disorder also known Social Phobia Disorder. Generally, people with social anxiety disorder fear and avoid social situations that fall into two broad categories, performance situations (e.g., situations that involve performing in front of others or being observed by other people) and social interaction situations (e.g., situations that involve engaging or interacting with one or more people).
Examples of Feared Performance Situations in Social Anxiety Disorder:
• Public speaking
• Talking in meetings or classes
• Participating in sports or working out in front of others
• Performing music or acting on stage
• Writing in front of others
• Eating or drinking in front of others
• Using public restrooms when other people are nearby
• Making mistakes in front of others
• Being in public areas such as a shopping mall or a bus

Examples of Feared Social Interaction Situations in Social Anxiety Disorder:
• Going to a party
• Initiating or maintaining conversation
• Talking to strangers
• Inviting friends over for dinner
• Talking on the phone
• Expressing personal opinions
• Being assertive (e.g., refusing to give in to unreasonable requests, asking others to change their behavior)
• Being in intimate situations
• Talking to people in authority (e.g., employer, professor, doctor)
• Returning items to a store or sending food back in a restaurant
Avoidance of social situations prevents people with social anxiety disorder from learning that social and performance situations are not as “dangerous” as they feel. In addition, certain anxious behaviors may lead some people with social anxiety disorder to actually be judged more negatively by others, thereby maintain the anxious beliefs. Good Luck & Take care always!  (+ info)

What is it like to live with a personality disorder?

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And I mean extreme personality disorders, preferably from Cluster A and B; Schizophrenia, Schizotypal Personality Disorder, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Antisocial Personality Disorder etc.
How do you live with your personality disorder?
I think I may have one of the above and I am really frightened because personality disorders cannot be 'cured' as such and I am afraid of becoming a sociopath.
schizophrenia is not a personality disorder, but schizoid is it means you are cold, and don't like contact with others. Schizotypal means you are eccentric, and lack emotions or even see or hear things that are not there. Narcissistic pd means you exploit others ie ask for favours and don't return them and crave attention but give out no warm feelins for others, and antisocial people are self involved don't care about others are aggresive and generally commit crimes. They are very rare and those that have them generally don't ask, you may have the odd trait but if your day to day life isn't run by any of the things i've said you are unlikely to have one. If in doubt see your Dr and ask to be referred to a psychiatrist

Personality disorders make living a nightmare every day is hell I have borderline personality disorder and every second is painful and emotions go from low to high up and down in seconds I also have other personality disorders, they are not often cured but some people within 2 -10 years stop showing symptoms

If you are worried about becoming a sociapath which isn't a personality disorder you doubtful will be.

Ask yourself are you emotionless, cold, selfish, evil, don't care for family or friends? If you deny these I think your ok  (+ info)

Schizotypal Personality Disorder?

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Read about this personality disorder back and forth. It seems that if you are a weirdo, you also have it! What's the deal? Who invented it?
Do you believe in UFOs and alien abductions? You may be suffering from the Schizotypal Personality Disorder. Do you believe in the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary and in the resurrection of her son? Then you are merely a religious person.

In other words, it is OK to believe in certain "supernatural" phenomena just because such beliefs are socially acceptable and widespread. The Schizotypal Personality Disorder is one of the most culture-bound mental health diagnoses in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM). Many of the diagnostic criteria of this "personality disorder" refer to behaviors which some say are utterly normative in certain cultures or sub-cultures.

But possessing an idiosyncratic belief system is not enough. The schizotypal must also be a "strange bird". He or she must dress uniquely, and have uncommon thought and speech patterns. Finally, to "qualify" as a schizotypal, one must act bizarre. Critics argue that such lifestyle choices should not constitute a mental illness.

The DSM says that Schizotypals frequently develop ideas of reference. They are erroneously convinced that, behind their back, they are a constant topic of derision, mockery, criticism, or gossip. But this often is the case! Owing to their peculiarities, schizotypals are invariably the butt of jokes, the targets of derision and mockery, and the focus of malicious gossip. In other words, their "ideas of reference" are reality-based, not imaginary and paranoid.

If you ask her nearest and dearest to describe the schizotypal, they would say that she dresses oddly, behaves eccentrically, and appears to be weird. These recurrent encounters with social censure and ridicule cause most schizotypals to become suspicious and even paranoid and to develop persecutory ideation. Consequently, schizotypals may be mistrustful and interact only with first-degree relatives. Schizotypals are more immune to criticism than narcissists or schizoids, but they do tend to avoid social settings, convinced that everyone is "out to get them".

The schizotypal is certain that the world is a hostile and unpredictable place and, thus, best avoided. Same as paranoids, schizotypals do hold and adopt unusual beliefs, "theories", convictions, "scenarios", superstitions, and conspiracies.

I described this facet of the disorder in the Open Site Encyclopedia:

"Although generally not prone to delusions, the schizotypal is steeped in the occult and the esoteric to the exclusion of rational thinking and to the detriment of proper daily functioning.

Some schizotypals report 'supernatural' experiences, including perceptual distortions - such as "out of body" voyages, remote viewing, clairvoyance, telepathy, or recurrent coincidences. They report these events in a private language which is difficult to fathom due to its excessive use of metaphors, vagueness, circumspection, complexity, or stereotypes. The schizotypal's thinking is similarly convoluted and hermetic."  (+ info)

schizotypal personality disorder question.?

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In seventh grade I was diagnosed as having schizotypal personality disorder, and my sophomore year of high school I was diagnosed as being schizophrenic. I didn't meet the criteria of schizophrenia in seventh grade because I wasn't having hallucinations.

Is it possible that the SPD was a manifestation of prodromal schizophrenia?
it could be.

That and having a diagnosis of schizotypal makes you much more likely to go on to develop schizophrenia. Some people remain schzotypal others eventually develop schizophrenia. Even having a relative with only schizotypal increases the likely hood of developing schizophrenia.

So you may never have had schizotpal it may have just been your prodrome or you had it and went on to develop schizophrenia.  (+ info)

Is schizotypal personality disorder usually permanent?

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Yep, pretty much.  (+ info)

schizotypal personality disorder?

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does anyone else have this disorder and how do you deal with it.
and if you know some info tell me plz thanks.
I'd like to refer you to this website: http://schizotypaldisorder.webs.com/  (+ info)

Could I have schizotypal personality disorder?

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Just found this info which helped me, may be part of my illness

Certain physical medical conditions, drug interactions, and chronic substance abuse can also result in symptoms that mimic schizotypal personality disorder, as can certain language and communication disorders. Certain types of mental disorders and personality disorders can also produce similar symptoms, including:
•Asperger's syndrome
•autism
•avoidant personality disorder
•borderline personality disorder
•delusion disorder
•narcissistic personality disorder
•paranoid personality disorder
•schizoid personality disorder
•schizophrenia.
I am diagnosed with schizophrenia, but reading info on schizotypal personality sounds more like me. Sure I had all the bad stuff associated with schizophrenia, but now I am taking meds most of it is gone. The only thing left seems to fit right into schizotypal personality disorder. The sexual drive but no desire for sex with others, the wanting to be alone yet having bizarre thoughts how relationships work, the need for a relationship but fear at the same time, the not wanting people close to me, staying home new years eve and having a couple of close friends only. I have been evaluated by lots of doctors who all say I am fine, but I am a better judge I believe. Sorry this was not written well, my keyboard is stuck, hard to type.
It can't be easy suffering yet having to deal with the illness you know of.
Anyways I do think most of us have an element of some of the other disorders or diagnosis's,(I for one am diagnosed Autistic)it's just a matter of extent.

I'm glad you are more stable on your meds.
I think relationships are,although something we all feel we want- we have to be sure to be in a strong place to handle them.
A relationship ending is bad enough without having the added pressures of a psychological problem to add to the stress.
It doesn't rule it out forever though!
And wanting sexual/physical contact is Natural.
It's hard to determine whether medication or thought process(& brain chemistry) are causing what you describe as "bizarre thoughts" on relationships,at the end of the day you are the expert on you as I am on myself,but sometimes a little input from others is a good thing.
Sometimes I think partial isolation can help a person readjust and re adapt into a social life at thier own pace,and taking emotional state into account at each step.

I think on the whole you come over as really bright.
Happy New Year!

I really hope you enjoy your time with your friends  (+ info)

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