Talk:Schizoid personality disorder/Archive 1

Merging "Narcissism and Schizoid Disorders"

[I feel that the existing article on Narcissism needs editing to be even more concise and to incorporate a considerable amount of the Narcissism and schizoid disorders article, the rest to be merged into Schizoid personality disorder. There is absolutely no justification for an article that makes the link between the two.

As a precedent it could generate a neverending supply of superfluous articles, for example "Narcissism and Alcoholism", "Pregnancy and Nausea", "Fish and Chips" --Zeraeph 06:53, 8 January 2006 (UTC)]

I feel this article covers the bases faily well and is not in necessary need of additional information from that article. I don't think the Narcissim article would benefit that much either, although I don't see it hurting it much either.- K-111

Hi K-111, the idea of a partial merge from Narcissism and schizoid disorders to this article is not so much make up any deficit in this article but that there are probably elements of the article that are more appropriate to this article than Narcissism. It is more about the dispersal of the "meat" of a superfluous article than any lack in Narcissism or Schizoid personality disorder. Of course, just how much "meat" that will prove to be depends entirely on how much of the Narcissism and schizoid disorders can be substantiated beyond it's existance as an original hypothesis --Zeraeph 13:04, 13 January 2006 (UTC)

Cannot find a trace of any real substantiation for the article Narcissism and schizoid disorders at all, so I am now listing it for deletion instead, unless anybody can show otherwise --Zeraeph 12:22, 15 January 2006 (UTC)

SPD is not a personality disorder

SPD is not a personality disorder. Another one of the tricks to keep the gifted few, who are different, back in the heard. SPD contradicts fundamental principles of individual liberty (individualism and liberalism so cherished by our society give full freedom to an individual to maintain any lifestyle he/she desires as long as it doesnot disrupt social order.) Hence the concept of SPD as a disorder is against doctorines of social contract upon which the legal systems are based. -apurv

Good point. I've tried to represent your argument in the section about the Status of SPD as a mental disorder. Please check if it says what you mean, and feel free to improve on it, of course! Best regards, Sietse 18:32, 24 Oct 2004 (UTC)

The fact that SPD, or any other PD, is a disorder, does not contradict any principle of liberty. Flu is recognized as a disease, it does not mean that people who have the flu are compelled to take any treatment. Apokrif 22:24, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

Just a thought, but would it make better sense to change the article's title to "schizoid" and redirect SPD to it? It's a minor change, but perhaps a telling one? Or alternatively, to leave this article as related to the DSM category and create another, fuller Schizoid article? --Zeraeph 12:25, 15 January 2006 (UTC)

"People who are afflicted with Asperger's syndrome often have very intense interests, while people with SPD are typically more indifferent with regard to their activities"

• http://trainland.tripod.com/sula.htm : "Having special interest patterns differentiated highly between schizoid and control boys, but not between the girls among whom this was rare" Apokrif 22:25, 8 August 2005 (UTC)
• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=2819642&dopt=Abstract : "Contrary to expectations, schizoid and avoidant personalities were found to display equivalent levels of anxiety, depression, and psychotic tendencies as compared to psychiatric control patients. No meaningful distinctions were found between the avoidant and the schizoid personalities."

The article says:

While people who have SPD can also suffer from a clinical depression, this is certainly not always the case. Unlike depressed people, persons with SPD generally do not consider themselves inferior to others, although they will probably recognise that they are different. Unlike avoidant personality disorder, those affected with SPD do not avoid social interactions due to anxiety or feelings of incompetence, but because they are genuinely indifferent to social relationships.

So the "differential diagnosis" section should be more nuanced than the current black-and-white description, I think. Apokrif 05:19, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

The comparison between SPD and the flu is a circular argument, since it presumes SPD is comparable to a disorder in order to show that it is a disorder. You can't use your conclusion as a premise!

The hypothesis is not that the flu is a disorder, but that the flu is recognized as a disorder. And my point is not that SPD is a disorder, but that recognizing SPD as a disorder does not contradict fundamental principles of individual liberty Apokrif 22:04, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

"SPD is not a personality disorder. Another one of the tricks to keep the gifted few, who are different, back in the heard". I don't know of any evidence suggesting that being a schizoid makes you gifted, aklthough some gifted people are obviously schizoid.

Randy_LeJeune 10:39, 24 October 2005 (UTC)

Dear Randy LeJeune, If you were really schizoid, you would care less about what others (including doctors or psychologists) think about you or how they label you. We are way better than them. LOL Liz from Brazil

Schizoid Personality Disorder, An interesting "disorder" because the "sufferers" don't care...

I thought that seeing as how I recently discovered that I "suffer" from this affliction, perhaps I could share my experience with this "disorder".

"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"

While this perfectly describes myself, and my supposed "disorder" there are several indescrepencies on the page http://www.toad.net/~arcturus/dd/schizoid.htm. For example, I quote: "While these individuals do not particularly struggle with shame or guilt, they can be quite anxious about basic safety" this is certainly not accurate for myself, as I have a tendency to show a strong lack of interest in my own safety, much to the dismay of the people who are determined to surround me.

Also, my case of SPD is very different from the one discussed on this page for two reasons: I have excellent social skills (that I choose not to use), and I am extremely articulate when I have to be. Only over the last four years (I am now 18 years old) has this "disorder" set in. In the last few years of my life, I had many friends and had parties regularily. There were a lot of things that happened to me, mainly with a certain relationship that made me dislike attention and speaking with others. I moved from my small town to a city almost six months ago, and I do not miss any of those people I used to know at all. I'm glad that I no longer have to talk to anyone. I still don't know anyone here, and I'm glad of that. My family always suggest that I meet people, but I really don't want to. The emotion I feel when I am alone is actually strikingly similar to the love I once felt.

I also show the lack of emotional spectrum symptom. This is an interesting one. I can't say if this is bad or good, because I simply don't feel enough to care. I have had this issue almost the whole four years, steadily degrading for the first two until the most sadness I could feel was about on par with the sadness a normal person would feel if they dropped a sandwich. My happiness too, is about the same as how happy a normal person would feel if someone gave them a sandwich.

I don't really want to type anymore. The preceding unsigned comment was added by 220.236.216.178 (talk • contribs) .

Just a brief thought but, perhaps while there certainly is a Schizoid Disorder (where contact brings distress for example) I wonder if, perhaps, there is also a perfectly healthy "Schizoid Orientation"? --Zeraeph 13:43, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

Personality "disorder"?

Is being a "schizoid" really a personality disorder? Western, specifically American, culture places much emphasis on being seen, being heard, and just plain being noticed as it does on competition and individualism. Status is dependent on other people. After all we don't have the phrases "conspicuous consumption", "rat race", and "dress to impress" for nothing. Maybe there are others (the truly introverted and schizoid) who do not want to capitulate to such extroverted nonsense.