Schizotypal Personality Disorder

This disorder is characterized by a range of interpersonal problems, marked by extreme discomfort in close relationships, odd (even bizarre) ways of thinking, and behavioral eccentricities

• These symptoms may include ideas of reference and/or bodily illusions
• People with the disorder often have great difficulty keeping their attention focused; conversation is typically digressive and vague, even sprinkled with loose associations
• They tend to drift aimlessly and lead an idle, unproductive life, choosing undemanding jobs in which they are not required to interact with other people
• It has been estimated that 2% to 4% of all people (slightly more males than females) may have the disorder

How Do Theorists Explain Schizotypal Personality Disorder?

• Because the symptoms of schizotypal personality disorder so often resemble those of schizophrenia, researchers have hypothesized that similar factors are at work in both disorders
• Schizotypal symptoms are often linked to family conflicts and to psychological disorders in parents
• Researchers have also begun to link schizotypal personality disorder to some of the same biological factors found in schizophrenia, such as high dopamine activity
• The disorder has also been linked to mood disorders, especially depression

Treatments for Schizotypal Personality Disorder

Therapy is as difficult in cases of schizotypal personality disorder, as in cases of paranoid and schizoid personality disorders

• Most therapists agree on the need to help clients “reconnect” and recognize the limits of their thinking and powers
• Cognitive-behavioral therapists further try to teach clients to objectively evaluate their thoughts and perceptions and provide speech lessons and social skills training
• Antipsychotic drugs appear to be somewhat helpful in reducing certain thought problems

References:
Bernstein, D.A. & Nash, P.W. (2008). Essentials of psychology (4th ed.) Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Comer, R.J. (2013). Abnormal Psychology (8th ed).  Worth Publishers
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, (DSM-5) American Psychiatric Publishing, 2013
Feldman, R. (2013). Essentials of understanding psychology (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Friedman, H.S. & Schustack, M.W. (2012), Personality: classic theories and modern research (5th ed). Boston: Pearson Allyn & Bacon.
McGraw-Hill.McGraw Hill Higher Education (2013), The McGraw Hill Companies, Inc.
Ryckman, R. M. (2013). Theories of personality (10th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
Sue,Sue, and Sue (2014).  Understanding Abnormal Behavior (10th Ed), Cengage Learning