Schizotypal personality disorder is marked by a reduced capacity for intimate relationships, in which the person feels great discomfort in relating to others, for presenting social and interpersonal deficits, distorted ways of processing information and eccentric behavior.
People with this disorder are at a higher risk of suffering from depression, anxiety, problems with relationships with others, problems with alcohol and drugs, schizophrenia, psychotic episodes or even suicide attempts, so treatment should be done as soon as they appear. the first symptoms.
This disorder usually appears in adulthood and treatment consists of psychotherapy sessions and medication administration, which must be prescribed by the psychiatrist.
What symptoms
According to the DSM, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the characteristic symptoms that can occur in a person with schizotypal personality disorder are:
- Reference ideas, which describe phenomena in which the person experiences coincidences and believes that they have a strong personal meaning; Bizarre beliefs or magical thinking, which influence behavior and which are not in accordance with the individual's subculture norms; Unusual perceptual experiences, including somatic illusions, which are characterized by false beliefs that a part of the body is sick or malfunctioning; bizarre thinking and speech; mistrust towards others or paranoid ideation; inadequate and restrained affection; strange, peculiar or appearance or behavior eccentric; lack of close or confidential friends, other than close family members; excessive social anxiety that does not diminish with familiarity and tends to be associated with paranoid fears, rather than negative judgments about oneself.
Meet other personality disorders.
Possible causes
It is not known for certain what is at the origin of schizotypal personality disorder, but it is thought that it may be related to hereditary and environmental factors, and childhood experiences can have a great influence on the person's personality.
In addition, the risk of developing this personality disorder is greater in people who have family members with schizophrenia or other personality disorders.
How the treatment is done
Generally, the treatment of schizotypal personality disorder consists of psychotherapy sessions and medication administration, such as antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, antidepressants or anxiolytics.
