The Wednesday Wellness threads are meant to encourage users to ask for and provide advice and motivation to improve their lives. It isn't intended as a 'containment thread' and any content which could go here could instead be posted in its own thread. You could post:
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Is "schizoid personality disorder" a real thing that the medical industry can help me with? I did some psychometric testing a while ago and was told I might have that -- I suspect primarily based on some questionnaire responses where I indicated that I was content with not really having any friends or engaging in any social activities. (I still mostly feel that way, but it's a bit of a panic whenever I need to scrounge up an emergency contact or a personal reference for something, and I sometimes wonder if it's like one of those Mr. Beast videos where a guy sees color for the first time and can finally appreciate the full richness and beauty of human existence.)
I'll caveat that most online and some in-person psychometric tests are little more serious than Myers-Briggs. So don't overthink it.
To second Throwaway05, it's one of the situations where the neurodiversity and diagnosis-as-a-social-thing arguments are strongest. Most personality disorders are extremes of common personality types taken to such a point that they interfere with normal functioning, and schizoid (and to a lesser extent, schizotypal personality disorder) are the places where that division is fuzziest. Very few people with even deep schizoid personality types actually have disordered thinking or even dislike their social adaptations; the extent that the disorder even 'causes' problems, it's mostly from non-schizoids marginalizing them, combined with a sort of failed stoicism.
So the second matter worth evaluating is what your problem or problems actually are.
If your problem is just that you're missing social references, schizoids can absolutely develop friends and acquaintances. It's just that it's something they have to work at, even more than neurotypicals. On the upside, if you actually try to do it, it's a lot less stressful, because you don't need it. On the downside, it's always going to be some effort, and it's always going to be something you'll want to put off for tomorrow until several months pass. Online relationships tend to be easier(ish), but there are benefits to schizoids actually having meatspace friends, not least of all that it makes it much easier to distinguish between friend and acquaintances and rando-in-same-circles.
((For similar reasons, I'll recommend a lot of not-social-animal people, whether schizoid or just loners, take a class focused on public speaking, or join a Toastmasters club, or volunteer for education groups: you won't develop the skills and confidence needed unless you do it badly first, and your natural instincts will prevent you from trying it at all.))
If your problem's the failed stoicism - and I would strongly recommend seriously and critically looking at your life plans, as painful as it is, if you genuinely believe you fall on the schizoid spectrum - then that's... going to be harder. It's a personality type that shies away from that sort of hard self-criticism of one's own future plans, and it's important, and it's never going to be easy without the neurotic personality traits that make normal people find it hard to stop thinking about.
If your problem's that you want to want social activity, that's the hardest. The only real arguments I've seen along those lines are just 'fake it til you make it', and most people who try that never really make it. Even those who make the mask fit, get into a kinda ugly squeeze between liking the social activities and just finding them as a responsibility that they can't avoid.
((Uh, mainstream arguments.))
I would also discourage the use of hallucinogens and marijuana for people who believe that they're schizoid (or schizotypal), either as a disorder or merely as a personality type. The supposed link to full-blown schizophrenia seems to spurious or a common shared factors matter, but at minimum the resulting impact on motivation and focus are more debilitating for people without the grounding of other social events and schedules.
I think this is a really stellar comment!
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A few things moving in parallel here:
The explanation as to what a personality disorder or personality is is a long lecture at absolute minimum. It's a complicated concept with very specific (and for some dimensions debated) meanings. Takeaway: It may be reasonable to go "meh" in response to labels.
Schizoid personality disorder is one of the most poorly understood diagnostic entities in medicine. Patients essentially never present for psychiatric care because they don't see the need (and unlike say anti-social PD, they don't otherwise live their lives in a way that gets them attention). To my understanding the only reason why we know anything at all about this diagnosis is for historical reasons (it was thought to be a pre-morbid state for schizophrenia and was therefore very heavily explored, once we figured out that wasn't the case we stopped expending excess resources on trying to spot it and it went away*). Non-psychiatric medical providers see these patients far more than psychiatrists (since they do still require medical care). Takeaway: I'm not sure really this label means anything or requires anything.
The internal and external expression of the self is heavily impacted by culture and environment. Takeaway: I'm not sure a diagnosis that primarily served to describe behaviors in a wildly different social milieu totally applies to modern heavily atomized culture.
Asking this question is suggestive of the diagnosis not being relevant - satisfaction with the state of affairs is hallmark of the diagnosis.
Regardless of any of the above and anything related to the diagnosis - it is totally reasonable to have questions about your self, your preferences. Some people are fine with being solitary. Some people are being solitary as a defense mechanism. Some people are fine with being solitary as a defense mechanism. It is hard to explore these things by yourself, and in a situation where you don't have a lot of external entities to help you, a therapist or other professional way to organize and explore yourself is totally reasonable.
*not 100% sure on this.
I really appreciate the insight here. Personally I think that I am genuinely good with how things are, but people sometimes express mild concern about my lifestyle, in a "you really should get that mole checked out" kind of way.
To your point about culture, I do think part of it might be that society sees Internet activity as not really being "real" social interaction, even though hanging out on a forum is probably filling the same psychological need that hanging out at a pub would've done.
Absolutely, any para-social or other unconventional socialization is still socialization. Assessments aren't really updated to reflect this (well, for the most part).
If you are the kind of person who is posting here you may appreciate and benefit from interrogating your own personality in an organized way - maybe figure out why you are this way, maybe to see if it's what you truly want. If that's the case...chase the thread.
Not doing so is perfectly cromulent however, especially because learning about yourself can be an info hazard that can't be put back in the bottle.
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I don't think there is anything as crude as a treatment for this particular issue, especially if you're feeling fine about it yourself and are no trouble for others. If that is your genuine personality, you'll likely continue to feel that way for a good while.
But from having watched some people grow old and dependent there is a general rule that the less family & friends some has, the more pitiful the state you will end up in. There is very little as disgraceful as the actual reality of elder care homes. Friends can at least keep you active and mentally aware for a while longer. The best cases I'm aware of invariably involve the presence of a personal caretaker who genuinely knows and likes you, and the regular visits of friends and family. Maybe you'll get lucky and stay in full possession of your mental faculties as well as sufficient physical capabilities until you die relatively suddenly, who knows.
So even if it may feel like a hassle, I'd strongly suggest trying anyway.
All of my grandparents had pretty severe dementia, so I think I'm cooked no matter what I do. I'm just hoping my country gets MAID / right-to-die sorted out in time.
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