Schizotypal Personality Disorder
What is Schizotypal Personality Disorder?
Schizotypal personality disorder can be disruptive to your work, school, and personal relationships. If you have schizotypal personality disorder, others may perceive you as being eccentric or just ‘a little bit off.’ You may have difficulty forming relationships and interpreting social cues. You may be overly suspicious of others, very superstitious, or think that you have special powers.
People with this disorder do not generally experience hallucinations. However, they do experience delusions. You may experience extreme anxiety or paranoia, especially when in new or social situations. With treatment, medication, and therapy, people with schizotypal personality disorder can get their symptoms under control.
Schizotypal Personality Disorder Symptoms
Your doctor has tests and assessments that can be used for making a schizotypal personality disorder diagnosis. Talk to your doctor if you experience any potential symptoms. Some common symptoms include:
- Suspiciousness or paranoia
- Delusional thinking that you have special powers or talents
- An obsessive focus on religious or occult intervention or power of such things
- Strange patterns of speech or word usage
- Constant social anxiety
- Dressing in odd ways, including being very unkempt or wearing strange costumes as daily clothes
- Constantly doubting the loyalty and motivation of others
- Problems forming or maintaining relationships outside the family circle
- Interpreting events in such a way that something small or inoffensive has direct personal meaning
- Limited emotional responses
- An inability to understand how your actions impact others
Schizotypal Personality Disorder Causes and Risk Factors
Schizotypal personality disorder is not caused by one specific factor. There are a number of risk factors that may make you more inclined to develop this disorder, including:
- A family history of schizoid disorders or other mental health conditions
- Brain malfunction, including brain trauma
- Childhood experiences including abuse or neglect
- Having a parental figure who is cold or detached from you
- Injury or illness before or during birth
- A history of psychotic breaks or periods of delusion
- Abnormalities in your brain structure or chemistry
Schizotypal Personality Disorder Treatment
Schizotypal personality disorder can be disruptive to your life, but with proper treatment and care you can help minimize the impact of your condition. You and your doctor can develop a treatment plan and put together a care team to help you get your disorder under control.
Medication: Medications that reduce anxiety, control depression, and help lessen psychosis can be beneficial. Find a doctor at Sheppard Pratt to talk to about medication.
Therapy: Cognitive behavioral therapy, family therapy, cognitive remediation therapy, group therapy, and other types of therapy can help you learn to manage your symptoms and triggers. Learn more about therapy at Sheppard Pratt.
Education: By educating yourself about your condition and mental health, you can learn to know when you may need to ask for extra help. Find resources and information from expert community organizations.
Support: Support from your family, friends and even a support group can be the key to controlling your condition. Look for a support group at Sheppard Pratt.