No 2 schizoids are exactly alike.

We differ in our schizoid personality subtypes according to Millon: affectless, remote, languid, or depersonalized--maybe a combination of them along with the severity or degree of them.
All of our personalities are affected by our life experiences and choices--the good, the bad, the ugly.
Are we overt schizoids meaning that the small minority of people who even know what 'schizoid' is would suspect us of being one or are we covert schizoids who blend right into society with others thinking we are introverted or private people if even that? Most schizoids don't even know that's what they are and don't care unless it is having a profound negative effect on their lives. These are people who without really knowing about it or being aware of it have grown to understand their personal strengths and weaknesses and have adapted their lives to fit. Maybe early on they understood they preferred to work alone and just fell into those kind of jobs. (There are many employers who value those who can work on their own and alone, unsupervised and dependable to get the job done. And if they are covert schizoids it is even better and easier for them to hide in plain sight, to appear "normal" and yet to be themselves. Their lives are not perfect but let's not kid ourselves--even normal people, whatever "normal" may be do not have perfect lives either.

It says in this article (https://mentalhealthdaily.com/2015/03/1 ... -subtypes/): "Even though many people have been diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder, it is important to avoid assuming they are all the same and completely robotic. Assuming everyone with SPD is the same is like assuming everyone that is extroverted is the same."

Yet I so often read in schizoid forums of those diagnosed with SPD as describing themselves as neither having nor wanting friends, devoid of feelings and not wanting them, whose lives are dark and joyless and that has grown to be this caricature of being schizoid, having all of it's traits and characteristics to the most severe degree. It seems like they are trying to out-schizoid one another: "If you think you are schizoid, well I am REALLY schizoid".

I am an educated and at least moderately intelligent man and I had never even heard of "schizoid personality disorder" until I was diagnosed with it at 58 years of age. Even that diagnosis did not come about by my seeking it but at the interest of a psychologist who was interested in someone who had a SPD but was well adjusted and relatively content with his life. I was very happy with the diagnosis of being schizoid because it explained so much of my past life and choices I made. I wish I had known decades earlier because I think I would have made better life choices, better choices in the jobs I chose. But for me being schizoid has not been a disability and it has not been debilitating. I am a covert schizoid in that most people have no idea that is what I am because most people don't know me well. For those who do know me well, most have no idea what being schizoid is anyways. But now being an old, retired duffer maybe I can give hope to some schizoids that it doesn't need to be a dark hole where they are just surviving but not living, and that what might be viewed as a disorder and limitation can be a strength when we learn to work with who we are and not being so condemning or judgemental of ourselves. And I've got to say that being a retired schizoid is very easy and I don't believe I have ever been as contented in my life as I am now, understanding and accepting myself for who I am.

elocs9381 wrote:We differ in our schizoid personality subtypes according to Millon: affectless, remote, languid, or depersonalized--maybe a combination of them along with the severity or degree of them.
All of our personalities are affected by our life experiences and choices--the good, the bad, the ugly.
Are we overt schizoids meaning that the small minority of people who even know what 'schizoid' is would suspect us of being one or are we covert schizoids who blend right into society with others thinking we are introverted or private people if even that? Most schizoids don't even know that's what they are and don't care unless it is having a profound negative effect on their lives. These are people who without really knowing about it or being aware of it have grown to understand their personal strengths and weaknesses and have adapted their lives to fit. Maybe early on they understood they preferred to work alone and just fell into those kind of jobs. (There are many employers who value those who can work on their own and alone, unsupervised and dependable to get the job done. And if they are covert schizoids it is even better and easier for them to hide in plain sight, to appear "normal" and yet to be themselves. Their lives are not perfect but let's not kid ourselves--even normal people, whatever "normal" may be do not have perfect lives either.

It says in this article (https://mentalhealthdaily.com/2015/03/1 ... -subtypes/): "Even though many people have been diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder, it is important to avoid assuming they are all the same and completely robotic. Assuming everyone with SPD is the same is like assuming everyone that is extroverted is the same."

Yet I so often read in schizoid forums of those diagnosed with SPD as describing themselves as neither having nor wanting friends, devoid of feelings and not wanting them, whose lives are dark and joyless and that has grown to be this caricature of being schizoid, having all of it's traits and characteristics to the most severe degree. It seems like they are trying to out-schizoid one another: "If you think you are schizoid, well I am REALLY schizoid".

I am an educated and at least moderately intelligent man and I had never even heard of "schizoid personality disorder" until I was diagnosed with it at 58 years of age. Even that diagnosis did not come about by my seeking it but at the interest of a psychologist who was interested in someone who had a SPD but was well adjusted and relatively content with his life. I was very happy with the diagnosis of being schizoid because it explained so much of my past life and choices I made. I wish I had known decades earlier because I think I would have made better life choices, better choices in the jobs I chose. But for me being schizoid has not been a disability and it has not been debilitating. I am a covert schizoid in that most people have no idea that is what I am because most people don't know me well. For those who do know me well, most have no idea what being schizoid is anyways. But now being an old, retired duffer maybe I can give hope to some schizoids that it doesn't need to be a dark hole where they are just surviving but not living, and that what might be viewed as a disorder and limitation can be a strength when we learn to work with who we are and not being so condemning or judgemental of ourselves. And I've got to say that being a retired schizoid is very easy and I don't believe I have ever been as contented in my life as I am now, understanding and accepting myself for who I am.

No doubt, no 2 Schizoids are alike. There are differing levels of severity involved. Also, many may have other co-existing disorders. Though Schizoids comprise a very small amount of people out there, they are very diverse in their individual characteristics. Never assume someone has all 7 of "the classic Schizoid symptoms" and lives in their parents' basement to old age. Indeed, there are many more than just 7 "classic Schizoid symptoms" that may be involved with this. Many Schizoids are in serious relationships/married. It's not something you can rush to judge.

no two schizoids are exactly alike because there's only one actually and it's me

I Dream 5 wrote:Your one and only resident Schizoid (in most places).

SkeletonWarDraftee wrote:no two schizoids are exactly alike because there's only one actually and it's me

There are many who would be labeled as schizoid if they were ever diagnosed, but they have no idea that they are schizoid because they just feel they are themselves, get along well enough in life, and are satisfied with who they are and have no motivation to change. Certainly there are many who have other things going on in their heads other than just being schizoid which muddies the waters as far as what it is about themselves that is attributed to being schizoid.

Although I was not diagnosed until age 58 and am now 65 I am still discovering aspects of my life that point to being schizoid. I was raised by a single mom with a younger sister and brother and I only recently remembered how she would say that I didn't like to be held as a little kid. I wish I had known about being schizoid when I was younger but I didn't even know what it was until just 7 years ago and it explained so much about my life.
Let me add that as you grow older as a schizoid and live alone you really become more entrenched in it and now that I am retired it is even easier to indulge my schizoid tendencies. Like everything, you do get set in your ways with less or no motivation to change.

^What made you get a diagnosis?? ,how come not sooner.
I mean i agree that if something is not severe or have someone to make you go to therapy,you may never know.
How can someone know that he is not ordered?(lol "normal" )like others around him?

julllia wrote:^What made you get a diagnosis?? ,how come not sooner.

I have a goddaughter who was diagnosed with schizophrenia when she came to live with me 8 years ago and she had gone to see the psychologist and took lots of tests and when she got the results she wanted me to be with her. When the psychologist said she also had schizoid personality disorder I asked him what schizoid was since I had never heard of it before and was sure though it was something different than schizophrenia. When he finished explaining my goddaughter and I looked at each other and thought the same thing: that it sounded just like me. So when I talked to the psychologist about it he agreed to interview and test me since he found it interesting that at age 58 I was able to "pass" as being not schizoid at all and was otherwise well adjusted.
So that's how my diagnosis came about so late in life. I also think now that my mother had definite schizoid traits and characteristics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omOZyLmNMJs

I believe it is pretty much to be expected. Even your post is to be expected. It is the same theme that everyone is different, just put in different way. Well, not everybody is different, but "I am different from everybody". Same thing, just different delivery.