refresh.pngLike shown in the previous table, medically speaking, SPD is a disorder of the cluster A “Odd, Eccentric” (no kidding) Along with Paranoid and Schizotypical personality disorders, all of them also happens to produce introvert behaviors.

But it also shares some aspects with another personality disorders from cluster C “Anxious/Fearfull”, the Avoidant personality disorder, as well as with other conditions that are not categorized as personality disorders: Depression, Asperger’s Syndrome and the Hikikomori phenomenon (to recent to have a medical classification yet).

If most psychologists will not be confused between a Schizoid, a shyzotypical and a Paranoid personality disorder while pulling a diagnostic. They might however get fooled by certain types of schizoid individuals and wrongfully diagnose depression, avoidant personality, asperger’s syndrome, and now the newbie Hikikomori. We can’t blame them, schizoid is the rarest of personality disorders (not the rarest of all mental disorders) and one with symptoms spreading all across the chart at that, and depression is so very trendy now days, so why look somewhere else?…

Keep in mind that a schizoid can also double with a second personality disorder (the combination schizoid + Avoidant is not unheard of) or be having a clinical depression as well. Nonetheless, several indicators can help in the medical diagnostic:

SPD v/s clinical depression: Unlike depressed people, persons with SPD generally do not consider themselves inferior to others, although they will probably recognize that they are different. (Again keep in mind the individual might actually have a depression on top of being schizoid, or doubling with an avoidant that have strong depression traits).

SPD v/s Avoidant Personality Disorder: 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. (however, in a 1989 Canadian study, schizoid and avoidant personalities were found to display equivalent levels of anxiety, depression, and psychotic tendencies. And as a matter of fact some schizoids are ALSO avoidants).

SPD v/s Asperger’s Syndrome: Unlike Asperger’s Syndrome, SPD does not involve an impairment in nonverbal communication (e.g., lack of eye-contact or unusual prosody) or a pattern of restricted interests or repetitive behaviors (e.g., a strict adherence to routines or rituals, or an unusually intense interest in a single topic). Instead people with SPD are typically more indifferent with regard to their activities. More over SPD does not affect the ability to express oneself or communicate effectively with others, and is not believed to be related to any form of autism like Asperger’s Syndrome is.

SPD v/s Hikikomori: Little is yet established for the diagnosis of Hikikomori, but it is a COMPLETE withdrawal from society. Where the schizoid still maintain some outside activities (like a job), the Hikikomori never leaves his house, generally not even is room. The schizoid thrives on autonomy and self sufficient, but the Hikikomori is totally dependent from is family for is support and rapidly loose all social skills. A point of origin seems to be the refusal of school, but since the phenomenon started in Japan where the education system is very different that might not be relevant for the occidental individuals.

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