Schizotypal Personality Disorder

Schizotypal personality disorder usually includes five or more of these symptoms. The person may:

• Be a loner and lack close friends and other relationships outside of the immediate family.
• Have flat emotions or have emotional responses that are limited or not proper socially.
• Have too much social anxiety, which is ongoing.
• Incorrectly interpret events, such as feeling that something harmless or not offensive has a direct personal meaning.
• Have strange or unusual thinking, beliefs or mannerisms.
• Have suspicious or paranoid thoughts and constant doubts about the loyalty of others.
• Believe in special powers, such as mental telepathy or superstitions.
• Have unusual thoughts, such as sensing an absent person’s presence, or having illusions.
• Dress in odd ways, such as appearing messy or wearing oddly matched clothes.
• Speak in an odd way, such as vague or unusual patterns of speaking, or ramble oddly while speaking.

Symptoms of schizotypal personality disorder, such as more interest in activities done alone or a high level of social anxiety, may be seen in the teen years. The child may not do well in school or appear socially out of step with peers. This may lead to teasing or bullying.

Schizotypal personality disorder vs. schizophrenia

It’s easy to confuse schizotypal personality disorder with schizophrenia, which is a severe mental health condition where people struggle with interpreting and managing reality. This is known as psychosis. People with schizotypal personality disorder may have brief psychotic bouts with delusions or hallucinations. But the bouts aren’t as often, as long or as intense as with schizophrenia.

Another key difference is that people with schizotypal personality disorder usually can be made aware of how their distorted ideas differ from reality. Those with schizophrenia generally can’t be swayed away from their delusions.

Despite the differences, people with schizotypal personality disorder can benefit from treatments like those used for schizophrenia. Sometimes schizotypal personality disorder is thought to be on a spectrum with schizophrenia, with schizotypal personality disorder viewed as less severe.