Schizotypal Personality Disorder

IN THIS ARTICLE

What Are Personality Disorders?

What Is Schizotypal Personality Disorder?
What Are the Symptoms of Schizotypal Personality Disorder?
What Causes Schizotypal Personality Disorder?
How Is Schizotypal Personality Disorder Diagnosed?
How Is Schizotypal Personality Disorder Treated?
What Complications Are Associated With Schizotypal Personality Disorder?
What Is the Outlook for People With Schizotypal Personality Disorder?
Can Schizotypal Personality Disorder Be Prevented?

What Are Personality Disorders?

People with personality disorders have long-standing
patterns of thinking and acting that differ from what
society considers usual or normal. Their inflexible
personality traits can cause great distress, and can
interfere with many areas of life, including social and work
functioning. People with significant personality disorders
generally also have poor coping skills and difficulty forming
healthy relationships.
Unlike people with anxiety disorders, who know they have
a problem but are unable to control it, people with
personality disorders generally are not aware that they
have a problem and do not believe they have anything to
control.

What Is Schizotypal Personality Disorder?

Schizotypal personality disorder is one of a group of
conditions informally thought of as "eccentric" personality
disorders. People with these disorders often appear odd or
peculiar. They also may display unusual thinking patterns
and behaviors.
People with schizotypal personality disorder may have odd
beliefs or superstitions. These individuals are unable to
form close relationships and tend to distort reality. In this
respect, schizotypal personality disorder can seem like a
mild form of schizophrenia -- a serious brain disorder that
distorts the way a person thinks, acts, expresses emotions,
perceives reality, and relates to others. In rare cases,
people with schizotypal personality disorder may
eventually develop schizophrenia.

What Are the Symptoms of Schizotypal

Personality Disorder?
People with schizotypal personality disorder display a
combination of odd behavior, speech patterns, thoughts,
and perceptions. Other people often describe these
individuals as strange or eccentric. Additional traits of
people with this disorder include the following:

Dressing, speaking, or acting in an odd or peculiar

way
Being suspicious and paranoid
Being uncomfortable or anxious in social situations
due to their distrust of others
Having few friends and being extremely
uncomfortable with intimacy
Tending to misinterpret reality or to have distorted
perceptions (for example, mistaking noises for voices)
Having odd beliefs or magical thinking (for example,
being overly superstitious or thinking of themselves as
psychic)
 Being preoccupied with fantasy and daydreaming
Tending to be stiff and awkward when relating to
others
Coming across as emotionally distant, aloof, or cold
CONTINUED

What Causes Schizotypal Personality

Disorder?
Genetics may play some role in the development of
schizotypal personality disorder. This disorder is more
common in relatives of people with schizophrenia and
typically develops in early adulthood. Inborn temperament,
coupled with a person's unique reactions to life events,
relationships in early life, and development of coping
strategies likely together contribute importantly to the
formation of personality during childhood and adolescence,
and its abnormal development.

How Is Schizotypal Personality Disorder

Diagnosed?
If symptoms are present, a health care professional will
begin an evaluation by performing a complete medical
history and possibly, a physical exam. Although there are
no lab tests to specifically diagnose personality disorders,
the doctor might use various diagnostic tests to rule out
physical illness as the cause of the symptoms.
If the doctor finds no physical reason for the symptoms, he
or she might refer the person to a psychiatrist
or psychologist, health care professionals who are specially
trained to diagnose and treat mental illnesses.
Psychiatrists and psychologists use specially designed
interview and assessment tools to evaluate someone for a
personality disorder.

How Is Schizotypal Personality Disorder

Treated?
People with schizotypal personality disorder rarely seek
treatment for the disorder itself. When they do seek
treatment, it most often is due to a related disorder, such
as depression or anxiety.
Psychotherapy -- a form of counseling -- is the form of
treatment most often used. The goal of therapy is to help a
person change his or her interpersonal styles,
expectations, coping patterns, and habits of thinking and
behavior, in order to develop more appropriate and
effective social skills. Through treatment, people with this
disorder can often be taught to recognize when they are
distorting reality.
People with schizotypal personality disorder who also
suffer from another disorder, such
as anxiety or depression, might benefit from medication,
such as an antidepressant or anti-anxiety drug. In some
instances, especially at times of crises or extreme stress,
severe symptoms might develop, requiring a brief period
of hospitalization. However, medications are usually not
the main focus of treatment for personality disorders.
Treatment for people with this disorder is most effective
when family members are involved and supportive.

CONTINUED
What Complications Are Associated With
Schizotypal Personality Disorder?
People with this disorder might be at risk for developing
anxiety or depression. They also tend to have poor social
skills and lack fulfilling relationships. Without treatment,
people with this disorder can become even more
uncomfortable in social situations, which can lead to
greater isolation.

What Is the Outlook for People With

Schizotypal Personality Disorder?
The outlook for people with schizotypal personality
disorder varies with its severity. The outlook generally
improves for a person who is motivated to change and
seeks and complies with treatment. With treatment, some
people experience significant improvement while others do
not.

Can Schizotypal Personality Disorder Be

Prevented?
At this time, there is no known way to prevent schizotypal
personality disorder. However, assessing the risk for the
disorder, such as having a family history of schizophrenia,
might allow for early diagnosis and treatment.

WebMD Medical Reference Reviewed by Joseph Goldberg,

MD on October 15, 2016