Schizoid personality disorder

Meet the patient

A 38-year-old software engineer is brought to clinic by his sister. He has not been to a family event in six years, has no friends and does not want any, and says the arrangement suits him. His work is excellent. He answers every question accurately in about four words.[1][2]

His sister is distressed. He is not. And you are about to make one of two errors: pathologising a life he has chosen, or discharging a man who has quietly stopped eating properly and has been thinking about not being here.[2][12]

The examiner's question: how do you tell those two apart in forty minutes with someone who volunteers nothing?[1][12]

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1. [1]Triebwasser J, Chemerinski E, Roussos P, Siever LJ Schizoid personality disorder J Pers Disord, 2012.PMID 23281676
2. [2]Torrico TJ, Madhanagopal N Schizoid Personality Disorder StatPearls, 2026.PMID 32644660
3. [3]Cheli S, Wisepape CN, Witten CDY, Floridi M, et al. Psychosocial and pharmacological interventions for cluster a personality disorders: A systematic review and two exploratory meta-analyses Personal Disord, 2025.PMID 40111791
4. [4]Koch J, Modesitt T, Palmer M, Ward S, et al. Review of pharmacologic treatment in cluster A personality disorders Ment Health Clin, 2016.PMID 29955451
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10. [10]Cook ML, Zhang Y, Constantino JN On the Continuity Between Autistic and Schizoid Personality Disorder Trait Burden: A Prospective Study in Adolescence J Nerv Ment Dis, 2020.PMID 31856140
11. [11]Coolidge FL, Estey AJ, Segal DL, Marle PD Are alexithymia and schizoid personality disorder synonymous diagnoses? Compr Psychiatry, 2013.PMID 23021894
12. [12]Attademo L, Bernardini F, Spatuzzi R Suicidality in Individuals with Schizoid Personality Disorder or Traits: A Clinical Mini-Review of a Probably Underestimated Issue Psychiatr Danub, 2021.PMID 34795159
13. [13]Bamelis LL, Evers SM, Spinhoven P, Arntz A Results of a multicenter randomized controlled trial of the clinical effectiveness of schema therapy for personality disorders Am J Psychiatry, 2014.PMID 24322378
14. [14]Via E, Orfila C, Pedreño C, Rovira A, et al. Structural alterations of the pyramidal pathway in schizoid and schizotypal cluster A personality disorders Int J Psychophysiol, 2016.PMID 27535345
15. [15]Kendler KS, Aggen SH, Czajkowski N, Røysamb E, et al. The structure of genetic and environmental risk factors for DSM-IV personality disorders: a multivariate twin study Arch Gen Psychiatry, 2008.PMID 19047531
16. [16]Rosell DR, Futterman SE, McMaster A, Siever LJ Schizotypal personality disorder: a current review Curr Psychiatry Rep, 2014.PMID 24828284