regarding diagnoses and their validity

hello. I was diagnosed with social phobia and ocd about two years ago, and later with schizoid personality disorder.
I will admit that I amn't exactly well read on the subject, but I understand that some of the users of this board question the existence of these disorders or their status as disorders rather than personality traits (am I right?). my question is whether or not disorders such as the ones I have been diagnosed with can be medically detected or if they are merely constructs of psychiatry. as far as I understand, personality disorders are just constructs.
I do not consider myself ill.
pardon my poor english. it is not my native language.
r

There is certainly controversy on this subject. Many people take the view that personality disorders are only extreme versions of regular personality types. If you can get the book. "A Personality Self Portrait" by John Oldham, he explains this view well.
Psychiatrists are naturally going to have some tendency to "medicalize" various psychological symptoms as they are medical doctors. For instance, if you avoid social relations, a psychiatrist will label you as social phobic, avoidant or schizoid, depending on what other symptoms you might present. However, some people might just be "loners" and that is just how they are. And not likely to change.

What might be most important is how the personality traits that you have affect your life. To what degree are they impairing your ability to function, to have the job or career that you want, to live the life that you want to live? If you are indeed schizoid, you may not have many desires and be quite content with a simple life as long as you can live it alone. In that case, since it is a difficult thing to actually change one's personality, you may just want to get on with your life. On the other hand, if your symptoms cause you distress, you may want to seek treatment, both social phobia and OCD seem to respond well to simple treatment. Schizoid, being more of a core personality, is less likely to change.

"... my question is whether or not disorders such as the ones I have been diagnosed with can be medically detected or if they are merely constructs of psychiatry. as far as I understand, personality disorders are just constructs."


Well, they are constructs in a way, as far as being concepts about personalities. But it might be better to look at them as generalities about certain extreme personality types that are true to the degree that certain people actually have those groups of "traits". Some might have all of the traits to fit a certain category. Others might have 3 or 4 traits. So they are general classes in which certain people fit more or less well, but should not be considered a portrait of any particular person or a definition of. Even at our worse, we are far more than any dis orders we suffer from.

Gary

None of the personality disorders can be medically detected.

Are they illnesses? I would say in themselves, no... but that the distress they can sometimes cause can cause illness as a result.

Are they valid diagnoses?

For some people, yes; for others, they can be extremely unhelpful. For some, it can be really useful as a tool for beginning to understand thei rbehaviours, what drives them, and offer a way to start to overcome the problems.

For others, it means they are actually less likely to overcome them; a sort of, "this is why my life is this way and it's because something is wrong with me so I can't change it."

I think in mental illness generally there is a tendency among many sufferers to feel that once diagnosed, they are never going to get better. The way we view mental illness in general really needs to change. A diagnosis should not mean that it will always be that way.

I do feel with the personality disorders some psychiatrists are far to quick to diagnose them. Kids of 14 and 15 are being labelled as BPD - they're not. Not at that age. If they fit that category, then instead of whacking a label on they should be given help to address the issues they and and work through them.