Avoidant and Schizoid

I have read some people have said that AvPD and SPD are on a spectrum, and SPD is just further along the spectrum than AvPD. Also there is the idea that SPD is someone who is AvPD who has faced rejection too often and hardened their emotions where they shut themselves off further emotionally. Does anyone have an opinion on this?

I'm no expert but IMO schizoid is what happens after enough time is spent alone. I think it's sort of a self preservation mode, as there is only so much time you can long for human interactions without it driving you crazy. This is only my humble opinion though.

I agree that is one of the factors in my opinion. As much as key features are different between the two disorders, there are many things in common between the two that would make sense along a spectrum. I say this because I was diagnosed AvPD, but honestly in my opinion as of late I have been presenting more schizoid.

Yes. I was diagnosed with AvPD in my mid-twenties, then with SPD in my late forties.

The theory that schizoids are hardened avoidants makes sense, but contradicts the theory that PD's are nurture-sourced and/or hereditary.

Maybe long term solitude might also lead to having SPD, providing you're predisposed to harboring traits of SPD, AvPD or both. I didn't live on my own until I was about thirty. Before that I lived with mainly extroverts, and in one case, a big house with four other people. Suddenly living by myself allowed me to indulge my introverted tendencies. It wasn't until years later that I realized how isolated I had become, but I was OK with it.

I still have some half-assed AvPD traits. By half-assed I mean that one of the reasons I avoid social engagements, particularly with groups, is because I fear being negatively confronted or overlooked. However when I do engage, I find those fears tend to dissolve. The thought of going to a party is far more unpleasant than the party itself. Rather than feeling, uncomfortable or targeted, I feel bored, which is as much in line with introversion as it is with schizoidism.

Additionally, If I am negatively confronted in any way, I tend to feel angry rather than hurt, which may be a combination of narcissism and the anger issues which have popped up in the past few years
or so.

Still, I never forgot the paralyzing fear and pain of my old avoidant traits. I think both the AvPD and SPD are rooted in being bullied in grade school, starting as early as first grade. My social development was damaged. The wounds have healed, but the scars remain, and there are times when I find myself picking at them.

I posted here in this forum when I originally joined, despite my most recent diagnosis, but gradually moved to the schizoid forum because I was able to relate more to the conversations there.

Interestingly, after my schizoid diagnosis I fell into a very bad, deep couple of years of depression. My therapist then suggested that I sounded more avoidant than schizoid, which kind of makes sense since depression makes you feel self-defeated and vulnerable.

At best, I feel I'm only mildly schizoid. The more I read these forums, the more I suspect a lot of PD's are a lot of baloney.

Unrelated question: Do people here find they are attracted to extroverts?

naps wrote:Yes. I was diagnosed with AvPD in my mid-twenties, then with SPD in my late forties.

The theory that schizoids are hardened avoidants makes sense, but contradicts the theory that PD's are nurture-sourced and/or hereditary.

Maybe long term solitude might also lead to having SPD, providing you're predisposed to harboring traits of SPD, AvPD or both. I didn't live on my own until I was about thirty. Before that I lived with mainly extroverts, and in one case, a big house with four other people. Suddenly living by myself allowed me to indulge my introverted tendencies. It wasn't until years later that I realized how isolated I had become, but I was OK with it.

I still have some half-assed AvPD traits. By half-assed I mean that one of the reasons I avoid social engagements, particularly with groups, is because I fear being negatively confronted or overlooked. However when I do engage, I find those fears tend to dissolve. The thought of going to a party is far more unpleasant than the party itself. Rather than feeling, uncomfortable or targeted, I feel bored, which is as much in line with introversion as it is with schizoidism.

Additionally, If I am negatively confronted in any way, I tend to feel angry rather than hurt, which may be a combination of narcissism and the anger issues which have popped up in the past few years
or so.

Still, I never forgot the paralyzing fear and pain of my old avoidant traits. I think both the AvPD and SPD are rooted in being bullied in grade school, starting as early as first grade. My social development was damaged. The wounds have healed, but the scars remain, and there are times when I find myself picking at them.

I posted here in this forum when I originally joined, despite my most recent diagnosis, but gradually moved to the schizoid forum because I was able to relate more to the conversations there.

Interestingly, after my schizoid diagnosis I fell into a very bad, deep couple of years of depression. My therapist then suggested that I sounded more avoidant than schizoid, which kind of makes sense since depression makes you feel self-defeated and vulnerable.

At best, I feel I'm only mildly schizoid. The more I read these forums, the more I suspect a lot of PD's are a lot of baloney.

Unrelated question: Do people here find they are attracted to extroverts?

I relate to alot of that other than I tend to not feel anger and I can't say that I was bullied harshly... the reason I say this is I would say my chronic depression has lifted as of late and I'm prone to chronic boredom and still feel a very restricted range of emotions that would be expected with depression. I'm also becoming more okay with my isolation as compared to before when I was diagnosed.

As far as being attracted to extroverts, I would say that if I engage anyone, they do tend to be extroverts because they are the people who approach me. I don't tend to approach anyone myself and engage with them, so naturally the people I would associate with for any period of time would likely be an extrovert (except for my job which I'm able to compartmentalize socially and function fine).

naps wrote:Yes. I was diagnosed with AvPD in my mid-twenties, then with SPD in my late forties.

The theory that schizoids are hardened avoidants makes sense, but contradicts the theory that PD's are nurture-sourced and/or hereditary.

Maybe long term solitude might also lead to having SPD, providing you're predisposed to harboring traits of SPD, AvPD or both. I didn't live on my own until I was about thirty. Before that I lived with mainly extroverts, and in one case, a big house with four other people. Suddenly living by myself allowed me to indulge my introverted tendencies. It wasn't until years later that I realized how isolated I had become, but I was OK with it.

I still have some half-assed AvPD traits. By half-assed I mean that one of the reasons I avoid social engagements, particularly with groups, is because I fear being negatively confronted or overlooked. However when I do engage, I find those fears tend to dissolve. The thought of going to a party is far more unpleasant than the party itself. Rather than feeling, uncomfortable or targeted, I feel bored, which is as much in line with introversion as it is with schizoidism.

Additionally, If I am negatively confronted in any way, I tend to feel angry rather than hurt, which may be a combination of narcissism and the anger issues which have popped up in the past few years
or so.

Still, I never forgot the paralyzing fear and pain of my old avoidant traits. I think both the AvPD and SPD are rooted in being bullied in grade school, starting as early as first grade. My social development was damaged. The wounds have healed, but the scars remain, and there are times when I find myself picking at them.

I posted here in this forum when I originally joined, despite my most recent diagnosis, but gradually moved to the schizoid forum because I was able to relate more to the conversations there.

Interestingly, after my schizoid diagnosis I fell into a very bad, deep couple of years of depression. My therapist then suggested that I sounded more avoidant than schizoid, which kind of makes sense since depression makes you feel self-defeated and vulnerable.

At best, I feel I'm only mildly schizoid. The more I read these forums, the more I suspect a lot of PD's are a lot of baloney.

Unrelated question: Do people here find they are attracted to extroverts?

^^
I'm a lot like this. I feel more Schizoid than AvPD now. I don't care that much for human interaction anymore.

If I understand the new direction of the ICD-11 correctly, they are both considered detachment disorders. Avoidant would be considered a social detachment and Schizoid is both socially and emotionally detached. So, from that perspective, a Schizoid is a more severe form. Like others, I am still Avoidant but as I have aged, I consider the Schizoid traits to be stronger.

https://icd.who.int/browse11/l-m/en#/ht ... /919081088

naps wrote:Unrelated question: Do people here find they are attracted to extroverts?

I used to want extroverts because it was easier to meet but also i enjoyed living through them.like i could be social without being social. But now i want more introverts.and i wish to be with an introvert.
Although it makes things way more difficult.
But i feel this is the change to more schizoid traits than avoidant.when now i want to be alone .while younger i wanted to be social but i couldn't.
I still feel i am way closer to avoidant because my need/desire to be with people never goes completely away,it can be unstable in switching between more avoidant or more schizoid.but i can imagine schizoid is more the moment when i loose this desire. And goes to apathy more.
I feel like avoidant is the anxious and sad part of depression and schizoid is when you reach to complete apathy,if i can relate anyway.

Do schizoids feel depressed too? Or they don't?
I guess this also prooves that i am not schizoid because feeling apathy makes me more depressed and sad.so i don't get how you can be apathetic without being depressed

Yeah, Schizoids can be depressed. It just intensifies the negative symptoms. Normally, I'm indifferent to my situation. When depressed, living for what little I care just isn't worth it.

naps wrote:At best, I feel I'm only mildly schizoid. The more I read these forums, the more I suspect a lot of PD's are a lot of baloney.

Unrelated question: Do people here find they are attracted to extroverts?

Why do you feel that a lot of PDs are a lot of baloney, as you put it?

No, I can't stand extroverts. I find them very annoying and intimidating, as they try to pressure me to be social and be like them. They throw out words like "selfish" to manipulate me. I think selfishness is doing something at someone else's *expense,* as opposed to being self-contained. I think "getting your energy from other people" like extroverts do, makes you a vampire, no?