Schizoid, schizotypal, or neither?

Those are good points.

The problems I've had with professionals is that I think they look at my age and gender and the fact that I'm introverted and pass me off as "socially anxious little girl with no real problem". The tests they give me are never extensive, and they seem very rigid in the conclusions they come to, even if their questioning was broad (which it generally is). So far the last two professionals I've talked to (one was one of those you pay online and do a chat with) came to the trite conclusion of a mood disorder, specifically bipolar II with general anxiety and some paranoid features. But I keep telling them my paranoia and extreme preference for isolation is there regardless of my mood or energy level.

I'm 20, a female in body, diagnosed with schizotypal, so the very least don't let them get you down in thinking because of your gender and age.

I'm also fairly lucid, and am able to simultaneously hold multiple lines of thought in my head in such a manner that I am capable of having delusions while still holding enough logic to avoid acting on said delusions. Mind you, my delusions are extremely specific and have to do with reality. I'm also at my happiest when allowed to be completely isolated save for maybe a computer and have particular periods to which I will become outright hostile to anyone who tries to initiate contact (usually for an hour or two after I wake up, or an hour or two after any particular extroverted activity). Mind you, my odd thinking and referencial behavior is based on feelings of inhumanity and lack of connection to reality, so I have a lot of odd beliefs and my behavior is a logical extention of that. It's not that I'm irrantional or not sensible, I'm just basing my logic on experiences and perceptions that other people don't have, which sounds vaguely similar to you.

I would say to try and find a professional that will take you seriously and walk away from anyone who isn't willing to take you seriously. People who can't take you seriously are not worth the effort used to talk with them...

saudade7 wrote:The problems I've had with professionals is that I think they look at my age and gender and the fact that I'm introverted and pass me off as "socially anxious little girl with no real problem". The tests they give me are never extensive, and they seem very rigid in the conclusions they come to, even if their questioning was broad (which it generally is). So far the last two professionals I've talked to (one was one of those you pay online and do a chat with) came to the trite conclusion of a mood disorder, specifically bipolar II with general anxiety and some paranoid features. But I keep telling them my paranoia and extreme preference for isolation is there regardless of my mood or energy level.

It's a shame they gave you the feeling that you've not been taken seriously. Therefore, I totally agree with this:

SoullessSingularity wrote:I would say to try and find a professional that will take you seriously and walk away from anyone who isn't willing to take you seriously. People who can't take you seriously are not worth the effort used to talk with them...

You can also discuss that you think you might not be taken seriously based on your gender and age. I think it's okay to steer them a little in the right direction. Don't distort things to get a diagnosis you ''want'' to, that's not what I mean. Instead, ask politely for a more thoroughly assessment when you get the feeling they don't take you seriously. I believe the MMPI-2 could be a very useful starting point. You may ask for that. The MMPI-2 can present a richness of information that may help any professional to look behind their first thoughts/impressions.

I thought schizophrenia seemed obvious here, or at least schizotypal PD. Your symptoms go way past schizoid PD. ZonedOut's assessment seems pretty solid, no need for me to be redundant. As for whether you can't have it because the demographics don't fit, the demographics for schizophrenia show the most frequent cases, you can get schizophrenia when you are a child, so age doesn't matter. Being a woman only means it is more likely that positive symptoms will outweigh negative symptoms, it isn't set in stone.

I don't know. I still have these feeling in my gut that I might just be an introverted borderline. I just realized I have black and white thinking (but mostly just the black, negative thinking) and have a tendency to think people have betrayed me or aren't really my friends if they do one small thing like agree with an enemy on a matter. Do schizotypals get really pessimistic about people and jump to negative conclusions about whether someone is really "on their side" or not?

saudade7 wrote:I don't know. I still have these feeling in my gut that I might just be an introverted borderline. I just realized I have black and white thinking (but mostly just the black, negative thinking) and have a tendency to think people have betrayed me or aren't really my friends if they do one small thing like agree with an enemy on a matter. Do schizotypals get really pessimistic about people and jump to negative conclusions about whether someone is really "on their side" or not?

Isn't that just paranoia? I always assume people have ulterior motives to anything to me and I am unable to comprehend someone who genuinely wants to make me happy or derives happiness from my happiness. I think people can't be trusted and often say things they don't mean in all the implications of what they mean and how they mean it.

I thought black and white thinking was basically "I love everything about you" and "I hate everything about you", in other words you either feel strongly positive or strongly negative towards absolutely everything. As far as I understand, this is a big part of Borderline Personality because the Borderline Personality has high/extreme emotions when they approach any subject, which is far different from the general pessemism of dealing with humans...

I think I might have some features of negativistic pd then, because I do sometimes have an all or nothing mentality, but it's more with circumstances then people. I've read different things about BPD, and when I just go down the DSM list, I don't meet really any of the criteria, but when I read more detailed personal accounts or scientific journals of the disorder, they consider switching from trusting someone and thinking they're a true friend to feeling doubtful about the friendship and that the person truly likes you black and white thinking as well. So while I'm not one to love and hate someone, I am one to be ambivalent about whether or not I trust them, and I do often feel patronized by kindness.

You should NOT/NOT be seeking a diagnosis here. You need to talk to a professional my friend.