A schizoid personality disorder is a mental health disorder

A schizoid personality disorder is a mental health disorder and it’s categorized in cluster A of the personality disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. So, it’s with other disorders like paranoid personality disorder and schizotypal personality disorder. A lot of times when people hear the term schizoid personality disorder they think its schizophrenia, they’re actually distinct disorders. 

Schizoid Personality Disorder are categorized by detachment and a restricted range of emotions. A lot of times the term people hear associated with personality disorder are a loner. Somebody with a schizoid personality disorder is often thought to be a loner. They have difficulties forming relationships with other people close relationships and really no interest in forming those relationships. There is a deficit with communication and social interaction skill but also no desire to use those skills. Individuals with this disorder tend to take jobs that have an isolated component like working alone at night as a security guard. They deliberately choose those jobs that don’t involve a lot of social interaction.

Sometimes individuals with a schizoid personality disorder will have a close relationship with a member of their family, but even with the concept of a family they just don’t seem to be generally interested in relationships. So it could be that somebody with this disorder has no close relationships. Oftentimes individuals with this disorder don’t move out, they don’t get married. They live with their parents or live alone.

There is also a decrease interest in any type of please that can be gained from interpersonal experience including sexual activity with other people. An individual with this disorder generally does not have an interest in sex. Individuals with schizoid personality disorder generally don’t find pleasure in a lot of activities that would normally bring pleasure. They also seem to be indifferent to praise or criticism. They don’t seem to respond to people approving of their behaviour or disapproving their neutral and they tend to have a cold flat effect so the presentation is not expressive typically.