Schizotypal Personality Disorder
What is schizotypal personality disorder?
People with schizotypal personality disorder can behave in unusual ways, misunderstand other’s intentions and behaviours and have delusional thoughts.
Differences between schizotypal personality disorder and schizophrenia
Schizotypal Personality Disorder can look similar to Schizophrenia. However, people with schizophrenia perceive reality very differently from other people. Symptoms of schizophrenia include hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not there) and delusions (beliefs that are irrational or not true).
People with schizophrenia can seem withdrawn from others, lack motivation, and emotionally expressionless. A family history of schizophrenia has been linked with schizotypal personality disorder. People with these conditions share similar abnormal patterns in brain chemistry and structure.
Symptoms
Symptoms include:
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poor social skills and lack of close relationships
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seeing hidden/secret messages in everyday life, e.g. newspaper headlines
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prefer to be alone and avoid contact
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believing in super powers, like telepathy for example
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unusual speech, such as rambling and going off topic or saying inappropriate things
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suspicious of other’s intentions
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excessive anxiety in social situations, even when they are not new to them
Causes
In early childhood we learn to accurately interpret and respond to social cues. This is what people with schizotypal personality find difficult, as they have illogical beliefs, unusual thinking and paranoid feelings. So it is suggested that something happens in early childhood which disturbs these learning processes. However, biological, genetic, social and psychological factors are all said to play a part in the development of schizotypal personality disorder.
Outlook
The future for a person with schizotypal personality disorder can be positive. Psychotherapy can help people re-learn the responses to social cues and to trust others and build close relationships which will support them and help them to cope with their condition.
Treatment
Like most personality disorders, psychotherapy is most recommended for reducing symptoms. Medication can also be prescribed when having a psychotic episode, an anti-psychotic should resolve these symptoms.
Access the Treatments page for more information
Personality Disorders Plymouth