Asperger's? Or Schizoid Personality Disorder?

[StevieRhi]

Hello!
Haven't been here lately. How are you all?

A few days ago--this past Thursday--I was reading up on personality disorders; partly because of interest, partly because of wondering. Or rather, symptoms of having one. And I came across 'feelings of emptiness' and that was very, very accurate. And eventually I found myself learning about Schizoid Personality Disorder...and relating to it more and more, while confidence in my self-diagnosis was shaken.

The feeling of emptiness and lack of empathy associated with SPD is what got my attention. Why, the lack of empathy is what gave me the notion that I had Asperger's in the first place! I took a test and it gave me a score of 11 out of 80, and said that Scores under 30 are commonly associated with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Asperger's. Or something like that. My memory is terrible.

The thing is, there is a lot of overlap between the two, so I'm on the edge. In the image below, the shared traits are all a yes for me. The purely schizoid traits, I'm not sure about; they're true to a degree. The purely aspie traits, I don't exhibit very strongly, save for eye-contact (only in certain situations), and stimming (done while daydreaming majority of the time, although fiddling with things does tend to calm me down). I'm not hypersensitive; if anything I'm hyposensitive. My sight, hearing and smell are all botched. I get cold easily, but it takes a lot for me to feel hot. Regarding touch I haven't enough information to draw a conclusion, although there are a few things I won't eat due to their texture. (Mashed potatoes and other mushy foods, rosemary... If food is seasoned with rosemary it just feels like I'm chewing on splinters.)

I don't quite fit the typical description of a schizoid; I am more of a covert/"secret" schizoid.

This is very reminiscent of one of my first posts, lol.

I probably should elaborate on SPD in relation to me, maybe not, either way I don't feel like it so I'm saying goodnight. Bye!

 

[Astroganga]

I got 5 out of 80 on the EQ test. However I have definitely been the way I am all my life and don't really relate to the schizoid traits. Same goes for the traits of any other personality disorder, none of them quite fit as Asperger's does for me.

 

[Southern Discomfort]

The thing that can rule out schizoid personality disorder for the majority of people who instead have autism is the restrictive and intense interests. Most of us have at least one subject in our lives that we really cling onto and learn about as much as we change. But it's important to stress though not everyone with autism have these intensive interests. And then there's the time these changes occur, if they're been in place since childhood then it's likely to be autism. Personality disorders onset are during late teenage years and early adulthood when our personality solidifies more and becomes harder to change. Many doctors are not comfortable with diagnosing personality disorders in teenagers because they're still room to maneuver and change personality characteristics.

It's funny though for me I'm considered to have Asperger's, according to my psychiatrist and care coordinator yet I also have no or very little interest in sex. But I put that down to asexuality more than a ScPD.

 

[Tom]

(Mashed potatoes and other mushy foods, rosemary... If food is seasoned with rosemary it just feels like I'm chewing on splinters.)

Your not alone in being uncertain. Its a pain when you finally settle on something and think things are clearer... only to have them go back to doubts. Quite a few things have overlaps.

Your 'chewing on splinters' line gave me a chuckle.

 

[hiraeth]

That venn diagram was quite helpful, thanks.

I have both diagnoses. Just reading the textbook criteria of SzPD sounds like it fits quite well, but the more I've actually talked to schizoids, the more I feel like it's not the right diagnosis for me. Aside from my asexuality, the other points in the right side of diagram occur because I feel like I don't have enough energy to care, rather than that I don't care in and of itself. I'm sure that my intensity of those schizoid specific traits are inversely correlated to the amount of energy I have at any given time.

 

[Professori]

The fact is that you are who you are and labels are not really important to that. The fact is that there is a lack of certainty as to the exact characteristics of any syndrome or problem. The assistance with charcteristics is indeed helpful to understand oneself a bit more, but I seriously doubt that anyone fits the defined characteristics of any one categorision perfectly simply because there is no absolutely defined and stable set of characteristics. You could try the formal diagnosis route if it bothers you.

I fit a range of the characteristics from many different categories and could been given many different labels, some even extreme and falling within the psychosis category (I have been given one of those labels) and yet I have been functioning within an academic environment at management level for many years. Labels made no difference to that or to the fact that I accepted that I simply marched to a different drum.

However, I accept the Aspie label because it is the fit that resonates the most with me and my own set of characteristics. It does also bring a certain amount of peace.