Schizotypal Disorder - why is it a personality disorder?

[Graduation Day]

It just seems to me that StPD belongs more with Schizophrenia than with the personality disorders, and I can't figure out why it was put in that category in the first place. What makes it a personality disorder? Quite often, StPD'ers have thought disorders and minor psychotic experiences (a few seconds or minutes), which to me suggests that it is distinctively different from most of the other PD's (except BPD maybe) and a lot more similar to Schiz.

I've been doing some research on this, and I can't seem to find an answer anywhere. I would appreciate any thoughts on it. I realize it's *just* a label, but I think it really affects how this disorder is viewed.

If there's anyone here who also has been diagnosed with StPD, I'd really like to hear what you think!

 

[Lana]

Hi GD;

I am guessing that you're talking about Schizotypal Personality Disorder.

What separates Schizophrenia and Schizotypal Personality Disorder is that Schizophrenia is biological in nature, whereas StPD is behavioral and is closely liked to Avoidant and Paranoid PDs. StPD is very simlar to Schizoid Personality Disorder, rather then Schizophrenia, and both of them are considered part of Schizophrenia spectrum.

 

[Graduation Day]

Well I guess my question is this; why do whoever made the DSM think it is behavioral and not biological in nature? I've read so much research discussing the similarities between schizophrenia and StPD, some of it even suggests that StPD is a prodromal form of schizophrenia. Internationally, StPD is in the same catergory as the other schizophrenias, not the personality disorders. Maybe this will change in the next DSM, who knows?

 

[Lana]

Schizophrenic persons have various bilogical abnormalities (e.g. dopamine receptors, size and mass of brain, etc) that manifest themselves physiologically through various behaviors. StPD does not show the same anatomy. StPD is more related to how a person behaves due to certain experiences, learnings, or traumas, or what not. They do not share the same biology, thus the difference.

 

[Graduation Day]

Schizophrenic persons have various bilogical abnormalities (e.g. dopamine receptors, size and mass of brain, etc) that manifest themselves physiologically through various behaviors. StPD does not show the same anatomy. StPD is more related to how a person behaves due to certain experiences, learnings, or traumas, or what not. They do not share the same biology, thus the difference.

I'm wondering what makes you say that StPD does not show the same anatomy. I've come across studies which suggest that they do share biological traits. Here's one: Schizophrenia Daily News Blog: The Schizophrenia Spectrum

I find it a little confusing that America does not share the same view on this as the rest of the world. If you can talk about a schizophrenic spectrum, why not lump all of them into the same category?

 

[Andy]

...I've read so much research discussing the similarities between schizophrenia and StPD, some of it even suggests that StPD is a prodromal form of schizophrenia...

Is this true?

---------- Post added at 03:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:10 AM ----------

:think::hmm::tsk:

 

[David Baxter PhD]

I don't know whether it's true or not. I guess my first questions would be "suggests to whom?" and "who is suggesting this?".

 

[Andy]

Suggests to the reader and is suggested by all the research he has done.

?Is that what you meant?

Ok. Thanks anyways

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Not exactly. I meant I don't know what he's been reading or how critical a reader/thinker he is when it comes to how he interprets what he reads.

One of my pet peeves is how bad most reporting on health and mental health is in the media (or on the net). And most people think doing research is reading third hand accounts or opinion pieces in newspapers, magazines, or on the net, and never get back to the actual research.

 

[Andy]

I can agree with that. There is so much information out there that it is almost impossible to know what is properly looked into or just gathered by some schmo.

I think I just meant (and I know you can't read my mind...or can you? lol I shouldn't have put the quote there, should have asked in my own way)
has there been research on Schizophrenia and Schizotypal PD being a precursor to Schizophrenia. I mean this can't be the first time that's been asked. Or is this one of those no answer things like AvPD.

Like you said it's hard to look things up because who knows what is correct or half-truths or whatever. Unless your in the know then it's hard to say who's research is believable or not.

Anyway, thank you. :goodjob:

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Well, at the risk of adding to your uncertainty (and mine) about the question, there are many things that can be a precursor to schizophrenia but the correlation is far from 100%. For example, having a sibling or parent with schizophrenia increases risk but it's far from a certainty that you will also develop the condition. Heavy use of cannabis is associated with earlier onset of the first episode in schizophrenia but that doesn't mean that cannabis causes schizophrenia in the absence of a genetic vulnerability to do so. A high proportion of individuals with schizophrenia show evidence of obsessive-compulsive personaility disorder, but that doesn't mean that having OCPD means you'll develop schizophrenia.

As with many things, the critical distinction is between correlation and causation.

I remember years ago hearing, as a response to the claim that cannabis was a "gateway drug" which in turn was based on a claim that a high percentage of heroin addicts began their drug careers by smoking pot, "It's also true that close to 100% of heroin addicts started out by drinking milk, but that doesn't mean that drinking milk leads to heroin addiction".

 

[Andy]

Then again, milk could lead to heroin addiction in some types of people with certain types of brain chemistry...lol has it been researched.

A lot of drugs cause drug induced psychosis, it just depends on the individual to which the switch stays flipped on or is a rare thing, yes? Nevermind any of that. lol

You could say that about a lot of illnesses though. Bipolar can be hereditary (obviously in my case) it can start out with Major depression, drugs can do the same thing, and comorbidity is typical.

I don't want to know about any of that stuff really. I mean I understand that there can be different factors for different people with different genetics and different tastes in food...lol.

I just want to know average information. Like if the public were to ask questions about say the flu :blush: health officials aren't going to say well it depends. They would go with the average answer for the research they had done and warn of anything else that could be possible.

Am I making sense. I feel like an ass because I really don't know what I am talking about I am just trying to get my thought from my hamster brain to the screen... lol Oy Vey..not working well is it?

 

[David Baxter PhD]

But if I were asked questions about flu, I probably would say, "It depends...".

The problem is that if one gives an oversimplified answer it is almost certainly to be as much incorrect as correct.

To return to your question, I'm not an expert on schizotypal personality disorder but if I were asked if that diagnosis meant that the individual was going to later develop schizophrenia, my answer would be possibly but not necessarily.

 

[Andy]

Ohhhh! Great! See now that clears everything up for me! :smack: lol

Are the lessor known personality disorders considered priviledged information and possibly a case for the XFiles?
Should I take my question to Scully and Molder? lol

I sure hope this new DSM V is worth the money/time that has been put in to it, curious minds (literally) want to know. If it is just as vague as the how ever many articles on the world wide web then... well then I am going to have a lot of questions if and when DSM VI comes out.

 

[SilentNinja]

just replying to the first page of this topic... my psych had mentioned Schzotypal to me.. just before i left, she suggested i could have this, i found this

Definition
By Mayo Clinic staff

Schizotypal personality disorder is a serious condition in which a person usually has few to no intimate relationships. These people tend to turn inward rather than interact with others, and experience extreme anxiety in social situations.

People with schizotypal personality disorder often have trouble engaging with others and appear emotionally distant. They find their social isolation painful, and eventually develop distorted perceptions about how interpersonal relationships form. They may also exhibit odd behaviors, respond inappropriately to social cues and hold peculiar beliefs.

Schizotypal personality disorder typically begins in early adulthood and may endure throughout life. There's no cure for schizotypal personality disorder, but psychotherapy and some medications may help. Some research suggests that positive childhood experiences may help reduce symptoms of schizotypal personality disorder in affected young people.

Every site you go on you get a different definition, but looking at the Diagnostic criteria i match 8 out of 9. but i dont think its all bad.. like the gifts we where born with... is it really schizotyal or are we really able to know things others dont, its all confusing.

 

[Lana]

I would encourage anyone reading web sites for information to do so with caution. In addition, I would not recommend self-diagnosis based on those description. What I do suggest is seeing a licensed professional and asking him or her specific questions about all and any concerns.

Schizophrenia is not a cookie-cutter illness and has many variations. To add to what has been already discussed, in studies on identical twins with Schizophrenia, there is a very high correlation that if one develops the disease, so will the other. But again, even with the same genetic makeup and environment, the correlation is not 100%. That correlation is cut in half when looking at fraternal twins. Some medications (particularly the ones for Parkinson's Disease) can induce schizophrenia-like symptoms and behaviors. Anti-schizophrenia meds can induce Parkinson's Disease symptoms. This is why seeing a doctor about meds and following the regimen prescribed is so important....and not reading the net for conclusive information.

But discussing all these is like chasing your own tail -- it's a neverending chain of events and consequences. One of the reasons why any knowledge obtained through research is not 100% definitive is that because of the variance in occurrences, it is impossible to pin down the exact cause or reason. In addition, for obvious reasons (moral and ethical) any of the findings cannot be induced on administered on live persons. So, the researchers are left with studying those that have been afflicted, and often cannot articulate information in the manner that is scientific for researcher's sake. That leaves observation, biology, and time to collect, analyze, and sort out the information. it's a long and painstaking process involving brilliant and extremely well educated minds in science.

That is why it is imperative to seek and consult those that know (really know) the subject rather then base it on someone elses over-simplified comprehension of what they think it is.

 

[Andy]

Ohhhh! Great! See now that clears everything up for me! :smack: lol

Are the lessor known personality disorders considered priviledged information and possibly a case for the XFiles?
Should I take my question to Scully and Molder? lol

I sure hope this new DSM V is worth the money/time that has been put in to it, curious minds (literally) want to know. If it is just as vague as the how ever many articles on the world wide web then... well then I am going to have a lot of questions if and when DSM VI comes out.

I just read this thread over. Just want to apologize to Dr. Baxter because reading some of my replies (like the one above) I sound like a snotty cow. I know myself, and can honestly say that was not my intention. I was just being overly sarcastic which is something I do when I am a little higher up mood wise, it's meant in humour but reading this again has shown me that it comes across obnoxiously and boarding on the "bad type of sarcasm".
Anyway, my apologies, I'm sure you have heard worse but still I want you to know it wasn't meant to be directed at you personally. I just read this and was like "holy b***h".:blush: :beer2:

 

[David Baxter PhD]

in studies on identical twins with Schizophrenia, there is a very high correlation that if one develops the disease, so will the other. But again, even with the same genetic makeup and environment, the correlation is not 100%. That correlation is cut in half when looking at fraternal twins.

More specifically: The risk for schizophrenia in the general population is approximately 1%. If you have a parent or a sibling diagnosed with schizophrenia, the risk climbs to about 10%. If you have an identical twin with schizophrenia, your risk is about 50%.

I want you to know it wasn't meant to be directed at you personally.

Don't worry. Actually, I didn't see it as "snotty" and I didn't take it personally.

 

[tweak]

Hmm... it is interesting, how authors of the DSM consider schizotypal a personality disorder, while authors of WHO's ICD lumps it together with schizophrenia.

I wonder what lead them to come to different conclusions?