This is the description of schizoid from the Mayo Clinic:
Prefer being alone and choose to do activities alone
Don't want or enjoy close relationships
Feel little if any desire for sexual relationships
Feel like you can't experience pleasure
Have difficulty expressing emotions and reacting appropriately to situations
May seem humorless, indifferent or emotionally cold to others
May appear to lack motivation and goals
Don't react to praise or critical remarks from others

When I first went into therapy a diagnosis was not required by insurance companies and therapist felt uncomfortable giving them. Everyone is so unique and it is your hopes and aspirations that count.

Asperger's often involves physical behaviors like repetitive movements, constant movements, and odd food preferences. Communication problems and social withdrawal are also common with Asperger's. So, a person with Asperger may become schizoid, but not all schizoid people have Asperger.


I think Asperger is hereditary, there are others diagnosed in my family and reports from over 100 years ago. It's especially distinct because it sticks out in the family, like a very high-strung child.

My symptoms improve when I am careful with myself. I apply myself to being healthy, and creative stimulation. I have a hard time with too many people in the room. My social circle is small but I need people who share my interests. My personality makes me a magnet for predators. During stressful times I felt schizoid description fit, but that seems more like depression.

Yeah thats totally me. Except that in my case what "opened me up" was a negative rather than a positive. Back in my happy "schiziod" days, I thought that any social contact is a disraction from my math and physics so I preferred not to have friends. But then I ran into a situation where I really wanted to connect and was shut down from connecting. That gave me rude awakening that its not me who is not wanting to socialize but it is others that don't like me. And that brief encounter with emotional attachment and subsequent rejection is what lead me to see that I am not schizoid after all. But ultimately it hurt me a lot more than helped me. I would have been better off if I were to stay "schizoid".

In my case I don't have those, but I still fit the diagnosis of Asperger because you don't have to have all the symptoms you just have to have the right number of them. From what I heard, repetitive motion part is less common among people with Asperger than it is among autistics. They have it in diagnosis criteria because they simply copied the autism criteria, deleted "language delay" part, and added that there is no delay in language among other things. I guess if they were to put more thought into Asperger as separate diagnosis, they might have moved repetitive movement from diagnostic criteria to "associated features"; but that is just me speculating, as it stands "repetitive movement" is part of diagnostic criteria for Asperger -- which is okay, since like I said I don't need all the symptoms I just need right number. As far as food preferences part or sensory issues, that is in fact part of "associated features" rather than diagnostic criteria, in DSM 4 as it is, and no I don't have those symptoms either.

But DSM 5 is different in DSM 5 they got rid of Asperger altogether and replaced it with ASD which combines autism and Asperger into a single diagnosis. I am guessing that in DSM 5 I might not even be qualified for ASD and instead I would be diagnosed with "social communication disorder" -- but I never actually went to be evaluated I am just guessing. In any case I like DSM 4 a lot better, and DSM 4 diagnosis of Asperger is appropriate, even though I don't have those sensory issues or repetitive movements or anything like that.

Yeah, I don't have all of the symptoms and I don't really care for diagnoses. I was very high-strung as a child. It absolutely enraged my mother who could not change me. I do believe there is a disorder that affects communication and perception.

What I have found helpful is to understand what is a central part of your personality, what you can tweak and what you really want. I noticed I actually did feel better when I attempted social interaction, but I was terrible at it because I would immediately have a terrible anxiety attack and make a fool of myself. For whatever reason, some people tolerate this if you have other redeeming qualities (especially support groups and churches who feel some obligation to tolerate the inept). Having regular social feedback shapes your behavior. A lack of feedback has consequences too.

The benefits of social interaction: It's entertaining. It's creative. You can grow your ego or someone else's. Avoiding becoming schizoid or paranoid. People have a broad spectrum of emotions and intelligence that you miss out on if you're never involved.

The cons: Relying on substance abuse to help you deal with the craziness. It's expensive to play. It's time-consuming. Most people are boring after a few minutes. People are predatory and competitive and may hurt you. Somehow you're made to feel like it's your job to fit in.

Lots of people live in isolation because it feels good. I tend to treat social interaction like a drug that deserves careful moderation. Maybe that's because I'm an Aspie, or maybe I'm just right. I do walk my dog in public and socialize with people who like pit bulls (quite a few, he's really sweet).

Yeah, same happened to me, when I was closed off I was always focusing on my school but then when I opened up I started focusing only on boyfriends and didn't care about my school anymore. It's a negative for me too, that's for sure, thanks for bringing this up, it's really important.

Yeah same here, except that in my case I am focused on girlfriends. In my case it is very difficult to get a girl to like me due to lack of social skills so I only had 3 girlfriends my whole entire life (one lasted 8 months and the other two lasted 2 years each), and thats when I was obsessing about it. But how about your case did you also have hard time finding a boyfriend, as in did you also constantly get rejected? Or was it more that there were guys willing to date you but you weren't liking them back?

Also, what were you studying back when you were closed off? In my case it was math and physics (still is: its what I want to do for my career). But what subject did you like to study? Were you still able to complete your degrees after you became obsessed with boyfriends? In my case I completted my Ph.D. but couldn't really find a professor job so I went back for second Ph.D. just so that I can be "somewhere" if not professor then at least a student.

There were plenty of boys willing to date me when I was closed off, I choose to believe it was that way if so many more are willing to date me when I feel opened up. When I was closed off, I was just that, closed off - no interest in dating, I wanted it though but I could never try to get it. There was no eye contact, and if there was, it was very limited and super awkward compared to now where I stare way too much on purpose and smile too just to make someone tick....
When I was closed off and going to school I was just stuck in this one routine that I didn't like messed up or else. So, I didn't have much choice to choose anything else, I would always avoid anything to do with getting picked on in class so I never had any fun, I would get picked on anyway by teachers. Even when I was opened up, I still had a long way to go to complete a degree, and still do, I haven't completed any yet. I am very interested in psychology now a days, so it depends, but when I go back to school, I don't care about the pay, I want to be a psychologist and more.

Thanks for asking, tmi, but it's great to share.

I think I am pretty similar to you. When I was closed off I had a few crushes on a couple of girls -- I even remember who they were -- but I was really shy about it and was trying not to look at them. But it didn't matter because, ultimately, I knew I didn't want to date them or anyone else for that matter since it would take away time from school which I found all important. As far as those particular girls, I have no idea what they felt about me since we never talked. But there were a few other ones I was joking around with whom I didn't like that way (not more than most other girls) but who still reciprocated it. For example, in the physics lab I was giving "shock therapy" to myself and others by using 9 volt battery and one girl actually liked it and was goofing around together with me.

But then, at the age of 21, when I became desperate for female approval then the entire situation changed and girls started avoiding me. Did similar thing happen in your case? You said boys liked you back when you were closed off; but did they like you once you started to actually want a relationship?

So what made you interested in psychology? Is it because you are trying to understand your own social anxiety, or were you interested in psychology prior to this as well? Back when you didn't have social anxiety yet, were you majority in psychology or did you have some other major?

Mmm, I really like what you say. A big warm smile

Hmm, that sounds pretty sexy, so you're a sexy scientist right? Yeah, they liked me once I wanted a relationship, but only so they could get in my pants. I know all of their desires by now, they say okay to my wants just to get in my pants. There was this one guy who backfired at me and avoided me in 2015, I scared him away, I couldn't help myself though. There I was all high on prozac and feeling great for once in my life in a math class and his intelligence with solving a math problem before my eyes made me vocalize to him right there in person my amazement of how smart he is. Then he looked like he was getting uncomfy.... But ahh those big brown eyes. Then after class I wanted to ask him out and had to chase him, then he got in his mom's car and then when I got home I messaged him on the mathlab and he told me the truth that he was scared of me. Then we never talked again. But that's okay, I know there are other guys out there who won't be scared, there have been actually and I like that alot, so I don't take it too seriously now a days if some of them reject me. I am actually looking for rejection, because the more open you are towards rejection, the easier it will be for you to make friends with super attractive people.

No, I think I always had social anxiety, it started when I was about 11. So yes, in my early high school years I wanted to become an astronaut, I kept thinking about saving the world and that really helped uplift my mood since I was being bullied all the ****ing time. I also wanted to be so many other things, and they mostly focused on helping other people. So, my choices haven't changed that much, yeah psychology and doctor is something pretty cool, I keep thinking to myself that if so many people can be psychologists, why can't I? I have as much information to share with other people as they do, and if they can be so can I. Yeah, mostly because I have social anxiety and other stuff that can help relate to other people in this world. So if you feel the same, then just follow your dreams and do what makes you happy. Seems like psychologists always help people, because it makes them happy, doctors are the same, yep seems like everything brings the same happiness as long as you're helping people.

Thanks for calling me sexy It was over 15 years ago, remember. But maybe I should make myself sexy by trying to remember my mindset back then and forgetting whatever happened that changed it lol. You also sound sexy by the way

A for me I want relationship for emotional reason. In fact as Christian I don't believe in sex before marriage. But even if I did, I jut don't ee a point a to why guy put o much energy into wanting just sex and nothing else it like do they not have anything better in life to worry about? And the sort thing of all i I have to pay for it since girl assume I also jut want e hen I actually want something a lot more genuine.

wow he was really lucky. In my case all I have to do is fail to smile and a woman wrongly think I ant to be left alone and grant me that supposed wish when as a matter of fact I don't want to be left alone, it a just a huge miscommunication. But he ha opposite situation to me: he actually tried to be left alone but you chased him anyway. well, lucky him! I guess if I ere to run acro someone like you then my situation would be so much better.

But then again, back in Russia I remember one girl that was scaring me as she was actually beating me up and stuff. Could it be that Russian girl are more aggresive than American ones, and my hole plight of being ostracized is due to the fact that I live in America?

In my case I always wanted to be a physicist. But saving the world is right up my alley. I want to "change" the world o that the world see physics in entirely different light

so are you saying you want to be a therapist? hat type of counseling do you ant to specialise in?

@causalset ehh let's not get so carried away, if you want to know stuff just pm me.... Ehehehe.... I mean, this is an important thread, I don't want to make it all about me.

Yeah, I also had several secret crushes on boys in my classes when I was closed off, mostly through middle school and high school and college. And like you I was all like, oh well doesn't matter trying anything with them I came to school to learn not fool around anyway. Social anxiety keeps you very focused on your school sometimes, so that's good, but it's better to experience the best of both worlds for improved well-being, progress, and fulfillment of your life. As for what those particular girls felt about you is that they liked you and wanted what you wanted from them and what I wanted from guys and what they wanted from me, pure sparking connection/friends/possible relationships. Although, I do remember in 4th grade when I didn't have social anxiety just yet and this one boy and me hit it off pretty well, but we never kissed, and it ended prematurely anyway. But I enjoyed the spark I was able to have with him regardless of how long it lasted, lol he was the first and last one in dang I think it was my last try! Pretty interesting how young I started hitting on boys, I even remember doing it in kindergarten and there was lots of kissing there.

so how did you improve with being diagnosed with AS?

Why would a diagnosis make you improve? Diagnosis is not a cure LOL. In fact the whole point of diagnosis is to tell me how I "wasn't" cured.

i dont now, my therapists said no, but that did not stop me from being a member on a schizod group in facebook .

I've been diagnosed with this by several therapists. Bupropion helps offset the anhedonia. On the one hand, it's nice to have feelings, which bupropion helps catalyze, but, on the other, it's also sometimes nice to be indifferent.

Has anyone watched a film called ''Persona'' by Ingmar Bergman? If not then I really recommend you to watch it. I'm pretty sure you can find it online.

I'm not saying the main character has schizoid personality or even just SPD. At the end of the day, it's just a film and it's just about certain narrative. We don't know much about character's past. She could've been pretty normal before, although I've never seen normal people (average, the majority) coming to such realization irl. At least not before their senior/pre-senior years. But her crisis is definitely of schizoid nature.

I've read a few reviews and one of them seemed particularly good to me and resonated with me. It pointed out that Bergman used ''Life is theatre and people are the actors in it'' metaphor because the character is an actress and her breakdown happened during the play. I would say for myself that I'm the one in the audience and have always been that pretty much, constantly watching people's pathetic theatre play and observing most of the time instead of participating. I'm really sick of even watching it now. It's something most of people do naturally(maybe except for us, people with huge SPD problems and possibly even healthy schizoids, who knows). They're so into it that it's their lifes and the only way they live and it's their reality despite it being totally artificial and deceptive. And I could see it almost my entire life and rejected it. If you ask me, actual theatre plays feel way more real and they're not even irritating compared to what people do, because all the actors are fully aware they're playing and that it's not real.

This SPD I have has been developing in me since childhood and I think I already had a great deal of this schizoidness and could perfectly suit SPD description in my teens and even pre-teens. I either was playing really badly or refused to play (like the main character) and was punished by being kicked out of the play and ridiculed. (Let me remind you, a play is a metaphor for social life which is actually life because everything involves interacting with people). Then I'd decide rather not to participate in it at all and I'd observe it (like the main character did). I would see everything as it is, people's motivations and proverbial elephant in the room, something Nancy McWilliams was talking about in her article. It was a dynamic process and here I am. I totally isolated myself and even words hardly come out of my mouth and it's a torture and a burdain to interact with people.

I really don't know if someone can understand what I was trying to say metaphorically... But I hope those who can relate will understand it.

I could relate to both characters and the situation they're in so much. I mean mostly I could relate to the actress, of course, but the nurse represented vulnerable side that is still there, despite schizoidness. In case with SPD it's somewhere in subconscious and it can still pop out even during the worst crises like the one I have now... And if you take Nancy McWilliams article and chapter from the book into account then she says that all people seek for attachment, including those with SPD. It's something unconscious and it is on a deeper level. Deep down we're not completely indifferent and are connected mentally to people and our experiences with people.

@SorryForMyEnglish thanks for the recommendation, I'll try to watch it this weekend if I can find it.

There are cases when bupropion and other medications aren't helpful Glad you're doing ok with it so far. But even then medications are only short-term...

Hope you'll like/liked it!