Schizotypal Personality Disorder
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a well-known book about an eccentric candy maker living in his own mystical world that has been made into two popular movies. Wonka is a character that is two things at once; unflappable and socially anxious, overly friendly but also untrustworthy and isolated, altruistic and sadistic, hopeful and cynical, grandiose and fragile (Pincus, 2006). While Willy Wonka may be a fictional character, he does display the very real disorder Schizotypal Personality Disorder or SPD. Schizotypal Personality Disorder is a personality disorder that affects approximately 3.9% of the American population and is similar to Schizophrenia but without delusions or hallucinations (Pulay et al., 2009). While little is known about the causes of Schizotypal Personality Disorder, it is becoming a significant personality disorder that warrants an understanding of what is currently known about the disorder and treatments available to individuals living with SPD.
Every person that has different characteristics that influence how they think, act, and build relationships. While some people are introverted, others are extroverted. Some people are strict and do not take risks, while others are carefree and free spirited. However, there are times where a person’s behavior becomes destructive, problematic, and maladaptive (Widger, 2003). The key to examining a person for a possible personality disorder is not if they have quirks, but if they display severe behavioral, emotional, and social issues. A diagnosis of having a personality disorders involves identifying if their extreme behaviors, emotions, and thoughts that are different than cultural expectations interfere with the ...
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Personality disorders are separated into several clusters as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Cluster A includes disorders of the personality that are odd or egocentric. These include paranoid personality disorder, schizoid personality disorder, and schizotypal personality disorder (National Institute for Mental Health, 2009). Cluster B includes the dramatic, emotional, or erratic personality disorders. This cluster includes antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder, and narcissistic personality disorder (NIMH, 2009). The final cluster, Cluster C, includes avoidant personality disorder, dependent personality disorder, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (NIMH, 2009). These personality disorders are categorized as anxious and fearful disorders.
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Schizotypal personality disorder (SPD), is considered by many as part of the schizophrenic spectrum. It is characterized by discomfort with other people, peculiar patterns of thinking and behavior, and eccentricity. These may take the form of cognitive or perceptual disturbances. Yet, unlike schizophrenia, these psychotic symptoms are not as fully developed as delusions or hallucinations but instead can be characterized as perceptual illusions. A person suffering from SPD might become extremely anxious in social situations, especially those involving strangers. Schizotypal patients also tend to be overly suspicious of others and are not prone to trust others or to relax in their presence.
In conclusion, Anti-Social Personality disorder has immense effects on people concerning empathy, violence, and even learning. It is also a very resistant disorder to treat. However, much needs to be learned about this disorder in order to help patients live normal lives, and can even be useful in establishing a treatment context for addressing conditions such as substance abuse, impulsive aggression, and schizophrenia ( Pajerla, 2007).
Schizophrenia is a devastating mental disorder that strikes teens and young adults crippling their brain and fragmenting their mind. Victims of schizophrenia remain in endless mental agony constantly confused and in terror. They suffer constantly from hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia. Approximately 1% of the world population live with this disorder making it one of the most common mental disorders in the world. Despite the numbers, there is no known cause or cure for schizophrenia. So what is the disorder, why is it so hard to eliminate, and why do so many people fall victim to the fragmented mind?
particular group of people whose symptoms are indicative of personality disorders, and are between neuroses and psychoses (Manning, 2011, p. 12). Personality disorders are extremely pervasive because they effect a person’s “mood, actions, and relationships” (Manning,
Personality disorders are inflexible maladaptive personality traits that cause significant impairment of social and occupational functioning. Personality disorders can affec...
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The initial diagnosis of Schizoaffective Disorder can be somewhat confusing. Many patients and loved ones wonder, “What does that mean?” “How is it different than Schizophrenia?” We’re here to break it down for you. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) Schizoaffective Disorder is classified as: An uninterrupted period of illness during which there is a Major Mood Episode (Major Depressive or Manic) concurrent with the Criterion A of Schizophrenia. The Major Depressive Episode must include Criterion A1. Depressed mood. Delusions or hallucinations for 2 or more weeks in the absence of a Major Mood Episode (Depressive or Manic) during the lifetime duration of the illness. Symptoms that meet criteria for a Major Mood Episode are present for the majority of the total duration of the active and residual portions of the illness. The disturbance is not attributable to the effects of a substance or another medical condition.
Schizoaffective disorder is a serious mental illness that features of two different conditions. It is a combination of schizophrenia disorder and a mood disorder. Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that distorts how a person thinks, acts, and what they perceive as reality. The mood disorder most commonly associated with schizoaffective is bipolar disorder. This is an illness that is marked by emotional lows and highs as well as problems with concentration and remembering specific details. Patients may experience a deep depression, and then they may turn around and be at an emotional high. Schizoaffective patients, however, live with both the effects of schizophrenia, as well as bipolar disorder, making cooping with everyday life a struggle. Schizoaffective is a life-long illness and impacts all areas of daily life. Work, school, relationships, and common aspects of life are difficult for schizoaffective people. (WebMD, 2013)
Notably, this disorder most obviously impairs the Professor’s ability to form interpersonal relationships and limits his ties to the rest of the world. Suffering from SzPD significantly impairs an individual’s quality of life. It is possible that he additionally suffers from dysthymia, a mild but long-term form of depression that is commonly comorbid with SzPD. The functional impairments caused by this personality disorder may be further intensified as a result of this comorbidity.