I’ve read a post on PsyForums where a teenager was wondering if he had SPD. A nice, definitively on the good side of the fence young man (not saying that because he is obviously a bit introvert). Made me wonder how many people think they could have a SPD…
So here is how schizoid I am (again it’s just me) so you can compare:
Important disclaimers before going forward:
So, as I prepared that site I made quiet extensive research and crossed path with an awful lot of online therapy and self help sites, or other “let us give you your personality profile for (insert fee here)”… Usually that crap is 100% commercial, trying to have some kind of “medical” feel to it but full of ads and always ending having something to sell you (book, meds, counseling, your profil…) DO NOT FALL FOR IT! Those sharks are surfing the trendy wave of anxiety. Of course most people feel “inadequate” or “stressed” or “anxious”, they live in a society that goes pretty much against any natural instincts we may have as mammals, so yeah people don’t feel so “well”…
While researching I tumbled on a site pretty much dedicated only to online personality testing. Just one ad on top, no selling, nor pushing you toward anything of the like. I first thought I should take the “personality disorder” test because it will make for great bashing in the blog…
Well I got to admit I cannot bash it. It worked for me, pretty accurate too. Remember: you have to answer HONESTLY (not the way you would like to appear, it is just you behind the keyboard, no lies) and keep in mind it is a COMPUTERIZED assessment (which mean it’s very close to what 95% of the therapists are doing when check marking your answers on their pre-printed forms, no no I am kidding… Sort of… Well it is computerized so no margin to interpretation, hence some results “discrepancies”.)
Let’s just comment my testing (I took it several times, always scoring the same into 2 to 4 % margin, this was the first attempt)
Note from the author: For more clarity I will leave this section “dry” as these are factual information fetched over the Net and in several publications, the need to comment on it is great but I shall do it in another section and/or a blog entry to avoid confusion.
The Schizoid Personality Disorder (SPD) is a personality disorder characterized by a lack of interest in social relationships, a tendency towards a solitary lifestyle, secretiveness, and emotional coldness. SPD is reasonably rare compared with other personality disorders. Its prevalence is estimated at less than 1% of the general population (1993).
There are two main diagnostics criteria commonly used by psychologists to identify SPD: the ICD-10 (From the World Health Organization) and the DSM-IV-TR (a worldwide manual used by analysts to diagnose mental disorders). The later seems to be the more commonly accepted as the “standard” worldwide.
According to the ICD-10, schizoid personality disorder is characterized by at least four of the following criteria:
|
ICD-10 criteria |
| Emotional coldness, detachment or reduced affection. |
| Limited capacity to express either positive or negative emotions towards others. |
| Consistent preference for solitary activities. |
| Very few (if any) close friends or relationships, and a lack of desire for such. |
| Indifference to either praise or criticism. |
| Taking pleasure in few, if any, activities. |
| Indifference to social norms and conventions. |
| Preoccupation with fantasy and introspection. |
| Lack of desire for sexual experiences with another person. |
The DSM-IV-TR, defines schizoid personality disorder as:
A. A pervasive pattern of detachment from social relationships and a restricted range of expression of emotions in interpersonal settings, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by four (or more) of the following:
|
DSM-IV-TR criteria |
| almost always chooses solitary activities |
| has little, if any, interest in having sexual experiences with another person |
| neither desires nor enjoys close relationships, including being part of a family |
| takes pleasure in few, if any, activities |
| lacks close friends or confidants other than first-degree relatives |
| appears indifferent to the praise or criticism of others |
| shows emotional coldness, detachment, or flattened affectivity |
B. Does not occur exclusively during the course of schizophrenia, a mood disorder with psychotic features, another psychotic disorder, or a pervasive developmental disorder and is not due to the direct physiological effects of a general medical condition.
Note: DSM-IV, which is an earlier version of DSM-IV-TR, does say that a person with Schizoid Personality Disorder may feel sensitive to the opinions of others and may even feel lonely but cannot do anything about the loneliness due to the disorder.
If you want to dig deeper than those mere definitions, you can start with Wikipedia, and you can stick with this site, for real life insights.
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