Living with Schizoid Personality Disorder (SPD)

Have you ever actually crossed paths with someone like this? What’s your take on people who operate this way—I mean, what do you think drives someone to be completely antisocial and just... totally detached from everyone else?

I suppose that's just how things go; people can be quite unkind.

I'm of the exact same mind on this one.

Are you guys counting yourselves in here too?

Yeah, call me antisocial if you want—I don't really care. It’s become my lifestyle at this point, and honestly? I've grown to prefer it.
I've just been burned by people far too many times; I'm jaded, plain and simple, and I feel most at peace when I'm flying solo.
That’s actually why I started this thread—I'm curious to see how everyone else perceives people who live like this...

What exactly constitutes a person with schizophrenia? Are we talking about individuals who experience psychotic breaks or hallucinations?

Donna Wood52 said:Yeah, call me antisocial if you want—I don't really care. It’s become my lifestyle at this point, and honestly? I've grown to prefer it.
I've just been burned by people far too many times; I'm jaded, plain and simple, and I feel most at peace when I'm flying solo.
That’s actually why I started this thread—I'm curious to see how everyone else perceives people who live like this...

No, what I meant was whether you consider yourself one of the bad guys too.

Do you have an actual diagnosis, or are you just assuming?

Donna Wood52 said:Yeah, call me antisocial if you want—I don't really care. It’s become my lifestyle at this point, and honestly? I've grown to prefer it.
I've just been burned by people far too many times; I'm jaded, plain and simple, and I feel most at peace when I'm flying solo.
That’s actually why I started this thread—I'm curious to see how everyone else perceives people who live like this...

I wouldn't exactly want to hang out with you either; I've had enough of "difficult" personalities for one lifetime.🤷

but then again, you probably wouldn't enjoy my company much either.😍

I suppose I might be considered a bit wicked, though I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm schizoid; perhaps I am just somewhat underfed.

brighteagle39 said:What exactly constitutes a person with schizophrenia? Are we talking about individuals who experience psychotic breaks or hallucinations?

Ha ha ha. You’re quite the comedian, I suppose. Maybe try using Google for a moment. ☕

Donna Wood52 said:Yeah, call me antisocial if you want—I don't really care. It’s become my lifestyle at this point, and honestly? I've grown to prefer it.
I've just been burned by people far too many times; I'm jaded, plain and simple, and I feel most at peace when I'm flying solo.
That’s actually why I started this thread—I'm curious to see how everyone else perceives people who live like this...

Where are you even going to go? You aren't even eighteen yet. How can you be a total hermit and try to hide away from everyone during high school and graduation? 😲

Anyway, maybe do some reading. It might help if you look up how *not* to act, because you could easily dig yourself into a hole of unnecessary misery all by yourself. 👎

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizotypal_disorder

Come on, Melpy, chin up! 👍

Ronald Rogers27

Schizoid and schizotypal aren't quite the same thing, I suppose.☕

Donna Wood52 said:Have you ever actually crossed paths with someone like this? What’s your take on people who operate this way—I mean, what do you think drives someone to be completely antisocial and just... totally detached from everyone else?

There are certain studies regarding the hereditary nature of this specific temperament (E. Kretschmer).
Setting aside a deep dive into your question, there seems to be a straightforward answer:
These individuals tend to be incredibly sensitive and vulnerable regarding their inner lives, which leads them to retreat into isolation.
Because they often exist within an internal world of fantasy, they struggle to detach from it, prioritizing their subjective reality over actual social needs and the world around them.

If you're asking for the reasons? One factor is an inferiority complex combined with a sensitivity to criticism; they withdraw as a form of escape.
A second reason is pathological introversion—a preoccupation with the self where everything they observe is filtered through a purely subjective lens.

Not everyone with antisocial tendencies should be labeled as schizoid, of course. There are other classifications... 🙂

So, I went to see a psychiatrist, and they handed me a diagnosis of apathy and schizoid personality disorder..
I’m not some crazy person out here trying to diagnose myself—I’m not that clueless.

But honestly, people have just become exhausting lately; everyone seems so bitter..
Someone actually had the nerve to ask if *I* was the one being malicious? Please. If I were actually "good" by society's standards, I'd probably be somewhere else right now
just grabbing a coffee at Starbucks with friends.

Kenneth Campbell, don't start with the lectures. It's exactly because of people like you that I have zero desire to socialize.
Sandra Parker, what makes me such a "difficult" person according to you??

Ronald Rogers27, as far as I'm aware, you become an adult once you hit 18. You always seem to have your own little theories about everything. ☕
And besides that, so what if I'm asocial? There are more and more people like that these days anyway.

I’ve always found bitter people to be incredibly difficult to deal with

I wouldn't go so far as to say you're a mean person, or at least... that isn't exactly why you're sitting here alone instead of out at a bar with your friends🤷

Melpy... honestly... you're just kind of boring. You should probably steer clear of people as much as possible so they don't have to deal with all that dullness.☕
Am I being too harsh?😁

are 😬

Donna Wood52 said:So, I went to see a psychiatrist, and they handed me a diagnosis of apathy and schizoid personality disorder..
I’m not some crazy person out here trying to diagnose myself—I’m not that clueless.

But honestly, people have just become exhausting lately; everyone seems so bitter..
Someone actually had the nerve to ask if *I* was the one being malicious? Please. If I were actually "good" by society's standards, I'd probably be somewhere else right now
just grabbing a coffee at Starbucks with friends.

Kenneth Campbell, don't start with the lectures. It's exactly because of people like you that I have zero desire to socialize.
Sandra Parker, what makes me such a "difficult" person according to you??

Ronald Rogers27, as far as I'm aware, you become an adult once you hit 18. You always seem to have your own little theories about everything. ☕
And besides that, so what if I'm asocial? There are more and more people like that these days anyway.

Who says you aren't clueless? Ask your entire high school class—I bet 70% would say you are... You're NOT cool, and you're definitely NOT "in."👎

Donna Wood52 said:So, I went to see a psychiatrist, and they handed me a diagnosis of apathy and schizoid personality disorder..
I’m not some crazy person out here trying to diagnose myself—I’m not that clueless.

But honestly, people have just become exhausting lately; everyone seems so bitter..
Someone actually had the nerve to ask if *I* was the one being malicious? Please. If I were actually "good" by society's standards, I'd probably be somewhere else right now
just grabbing a coffee at Starbucks with friends.

Kenneth Campbell, don't start with the lectures. It's exactly because of people like you that I have zero desire to socialize.
Sandra Parker, what makes me such a "difficult" person according to you??

Ronald Rogers27, as far as I'm aware, you become an adult once you hit 18. You always seem to have your own little theories about everything. ☕
And besides that, so what if I'm asocial? There are more and more people like that these days anyway.

No, people aren't inherently evil. And you aren't evil either; you're just depressed because you're schizotypal... 🙄

Donna Wood52 said:So, I went to see a psychiatrist, and they handed me a diagnosis of apathy and schizoid personality disorder..
I’m not some crazy person out here trying to diagnose myself—I’m not that clueless.

But honestly, people have just become exhausting lately; everyone seems so bitter..
Someone actually had the nerve to ask if *I* was the one being malicious? Please. If I were actually "good" by society's standards, I'd probably be somewhere else right now
just grabbing a coffee at Starbucks with friends.

Kenneth Campbell, don't start with the lectures. It's exactly because of people like you that I have zero desire to socialize.
Sandra Parker, what makes me such a "difficult" person according to you??

Ronald Rogers27, as far as I'm aware, you become an adult once you hit 18. You always seem to have your own little theories about everything. ☕
And besides that, so what if I'm asocial? There are more and more people like that these days anyway.

Kenneth Campbell gave you a straight answer, but you can keep denying the truth if you want... Melpy, it really comes down to TO BE or NOT TO BE.. and most of it depends on you, your stubbornness, and how much you deny things while your hormones are all over the place.

Donna Wood52 said:So, I went to see a psychiatrist, and they handed me a diagnosis of apathy and schizoid personality disorder..
I’m not some crazy person out here trying to diagnose myself—I’m not that clueless.

But honestly, people have just become exhausting lately; everyone seems so bitter..
Someone actually had the nerve to ask if *I* was the one being malicious? Please. If I were actually "good" by society's standards, I'd probably be somewhere else right now
just grabbing a coffee at Starbucks with friends.

Kenneth Campbell, don't start with the lectures. It's exactly because of people like you that I have zero desire to socialize.
Sandra Parker, what makes me such a "difficult" person according to you??

Ronald Rogers27, as far as I'm aware, you become an adult once you hit 18. You always seem to have your own little theories about everything. ☕
And besides that, so what if I'm asocial? There are more and more people like that these days anyway.

Don't mess with me, kid... I don't fall for those tricks! I don't fall for the tactics of much more experienced people (like the top US lawyers I indirectly work with here in the States), so what chance do you think you have with your amateur moves... 😂

Like I said, I can offer you a hand... But not to drag you into an argument, rather to pump you full of POSITIVE energy and pull you toward the Sun! 👍

Ronald Rogers27

Hello🙂

Ronald Rogers27, that's excellent. I appreciate the support.

My previous comment was merely a rough outline. I was attempting to provide a brief overview of schizoid personality disorder, given the nature of the question...

If you want Melpy to provide more accurate answers—since the current descriptions aren't hitting the mark (to quote your "don't lecture me, Kenneth Campbell" sentiment)—one would actually need to observe the individual in question. A detailed assessment is required to understand who they are and what specifically drove them to withdraw from society. As I mentioned, there are several factors at play here.

For instance, a friend once told me, "The world is just incredibly dull. People bother me, going out to bars is a chore, friends are a nuisance... I just don't have the energy to see anyone anymore. It's all exhausting."
For years, her only source of gratification had been drugs. Once she decided to quit and attempt to change her life, she became hyper-sensitive and lost the ability to enjoy the simple things she once did. She simply became asocial.

That is one way someone might become asocial, apathetic, or develop a depressive personality. There are countless different triggers, such as an adolescent crisis...

Google can actually be quite helpful if you use it right ☕

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizoi...ality_disorder

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizot...ality_disorder

Ronald Rogers27, I suppose it might be beneficial to do a bit of reading once in a while instead of just typing away ☕

br.1: I was actually just about to sit him down and walk him through the nuance between schizoid and schizotypal personality disorders—you know, the actual clinical distinctions—but honestly? I think he’s
just playing the fool.

br.2: Kenneth Campbell, look, I don't see myself ever touching drugs, but I'll admit... during that whole adolescent identity crisis phase, I did dip my toes in.