Personality disorders can be challenging both to the person who has one and their loved ones. They can also be mysterious, especially if someone is confused about the difference between schizoid vs schizotypal personality disorders. Both mental health disorders can drastically impact a person’s ability to live their life, and they do have some symptoms in common. However, they are two distinctly different types of mental illness and require treatment from professionals who know how to identify them.
Montare Behavioral Health of Tucson provides focused residential care that treats both kinds of personality disorders and helps people manage their symptoms.
What is Schizoid Personality Disorder?
Understanding the difference between schizoid vs schizotypal personality disorders begins with understanding how each one is defined. Schizoid personality disorders are mental health disorders that cause a person to have difficulty forming relationships with other people. In fact, they show little or no interest in developing bonds with others and are often viewed as being standoffish or rejecting people around them.
The individual has difficulty expressing their emotions and often isolates from others. They lack close relationships with family, friends, and romantic partners. People with schizoid personality disorders don’t often engage in hobbies or other pleasurable pastimes, which contributes to their tendency to isolate. When others attempt to interact with them, the individual typically appears indifferent and not receptive to further interaction or expressions of love.
What is Schizotypal Personality Disorder?
Schizoid personality disorders cause a person to have few or no close relationships with people. They often distrust others and question their motives in trying to establish a connection or closeness. As a result, the person often experiences anxiety and avoids social situations. They also have paranoid feelings and often believe others are talking about them. Their speech, thoughts, and behaviors may confuse others. In addition, a lot of people with schizoid personality disorders are described by others as having a peculiar or unconventional appearance related to their clothing, hairstyles, and more.
Schizoid vs Schizotypal: What is the Difference?
While both of these mental health disorders have traits in common, there are also differences when it comes to schizoid vs schizotypal personality disorders. A key difference between the two illnesses lies in how the person feels about their condition. People with schizoid personality disorder typically are not alarmed by their condition or interested in taking steps to improve their symptoms. They seem to go about their lives assuming they cannot change and not feeling the urge to seek help.
On the contrary, someone with schizotypal personality disorder feels concerned about their illness. They often experience anxiety and depression due to an inability to fit in the way others do. As a result, people with this mental illness are more likely to seek treatment than those with schizoid personality disorder.
People with schizoid personality disorders usually do not dress or otherwise have appearances that others find curious or eccentric. Those with schizotypal personality disorder often have appearances that make them stand out from others. As well, people with schizotypal personality disorder often believe they have special powers and abilities, such as mental telepathy. They may believe they can sense the presence of a person who is not actually there. This is not a symptom of schizoid personality disorder.
Finally, which medications are used for these two disorders can vary. Someone with schizoid personality disorder can benefit from taking prescription drugs that treat anxiety and depression. For schizotypal personality disorder, medication choices can also include mood stabilizers and antipsychotic drugs.
How to Overcome Schizoid or Schizotypal Personality Disorders
Whether a person has a schizoid vs schizotypal personality disorder, effective treatment is available on several different levels. An initial assessment of each person will determine which level of care best fits their needs. The levels of care include:
- Residential Treatment
- Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)
- Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
- Outpatient Program (OP)
Both types of personality disorders can be treated by using a combination of evidence-based therapies. In fact, when someone participates in more than one type of therapy, it boosts their ability to improve their symptoms. The types of therapy used can include:
- Individual therapy
- Family therapy
- Group therapy
- Holistic therapy
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)
Prescription medications can also be used to ease some of the symptoms of both schizoid vs schizotypal personality disorders. The medical staff at a treatment center will monitor the person for the effectiveness of medications and make any necessary changes.
Contact Montare Behavioral Health of Tucson, Arizona
It can be difficult to determine the difference between schizoid vs schizotypal personality disorders. They both require intensive treatment from mental health professionals like those on our staff at Montare Behavioral Health of Tucson. We offer a diverse variety of therapies that help people understand the nature of their mental illnesses. From there, they can learn methods for managing their symptoms and improving their quality of life. We include access to prescription medications that help in an overall program of treatment tailored to each person’s unique needs.
If you want more information about how our treatment center can help you or someone you love, visit our admissions page now. We provide free, confidential consultations over the phone and can answer any questions you have.
