What is Schizotypal Personality Disorder? Symptoms and Diagnosis

What are Personality Disorders?

Personality disorders are a group of mental disorders which make you experience a significant difference in thinking, perceiving reality, and behaving from others. They are further bifurcated as clusters as per the nature of the personality traits.

Cluster A is characterised by odd or eccentric behaviour, where you may face difficulty in your interpersonal relationships because your behaviour is perceived as suspicious or detached. 

Cluster A includes:

• Paranoid personality disorder

• Schizoid personality disorder

• Schizotypal personality disorder

Related: Transforming Life with Therapy: Overcoming Paranoid Personality Disorder

Remember that these personality disorders are manageable with the right support from your friends and family and an adequate treatment plan from your therapist and psychiatrist. Talk to them to get more insights into what is going on with you and how they can help you better.

Schizotypal Personality Disorder (STPD)

Each personality disorder is unique and has challenges and ways of coping of its own. 

STPD is a personality disorder characterised by severe social and interpersonal problems. You may feel very little or even no need for intimate relationships.

Symptoms

While the symptoms may look different for different individuals, here are some common ones: 

• Experiencing distorted thoughts or perceptions 

• Finding it extremely difficult to make and sustain close relationships 

• Showing little to no emotion in personal relationships

• Using odd and unusual words and phrases to express yourself in relationships

• Believing and hearing that you have “special powers” to read and control others’ actions

• Feeling extremely tense or uneasy with others who do not share your beliefs

• Feeling paranoid in social situations

• Finding it difficult to relate to others in a relationship

• Dressing unusually and having unusual mannerisms in social situations

While you may try to express your interest in getting close to your loved ones, your behaviour will compel you to act otherwise. Hence, it is helpful to remember that STPD is a complex mental disorder that you can understand and cope with kindness and self-compassion over time.

Also read: How to Find the Right Therapist for Managing Personality Disorders

Diagnosis

It can be tricky to be diagnosed with STPD, as you may have a difficult time accepting that there are treatment options for what you are experiencing. When you finally decide to seek help, it might be for the anxiety or depression caused by the personality disorder.

Related: How Psychotherapy Helps You Navigate Anxiety

As per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), to receive a diagnosis, you should show a persistent pattern of extreme discomfort with intimate relationships. You should meet at least 5 of the criteria above, with the characteristics typically emerging in adolescence and persisting over time.

• Ideas of reference - Misinterpreting everyday occurrences to have special meaning intended for or directed to you

• Odd beliefs or magical thinking - Believing in telepathy or a sixth sense 

• Unusual perceptional experiences - Hearing voices or seeing figures that don’t exist

• Odd thinking and speech - Talking in metaphors or having stereotyped speech

• Suspicions or paranoid thinking - Constantly feeling threatened 

• Inappropriate or limited affect - Facing difficulty expressing your emotions

• Unusual or eccentric behaviour and/or appearance

• Lack of close friends or fruitful relationships except with 1st-degree relatives

• Excessive social anxiety that does not go away because of familiarity but is related mainly to paranoid fears

As hard as it may be to believe, it is possible to have a happy, healthy life with STPD. You are not your mental disorder or its symptoms. Having more positive and healthy life experiences can help you cope with STPD.

Also read: The Significance of Self-Care for Individuals Living with a Personality Disorder

Finding your tribe and building connections - even though it can be difficult - with the help of your mental health practitioner can help you gain insight into how you want to take your journey forward. Remember that it is a mark of immense self-love and courage to help yourself live a fulfilling life and seek support.