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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffSchizoid personality disorder can be difficult to treat because people with the disorder are inclined to go their own way and prefer not to come in contact with medical professionals. Further, they sometimes settle into complacency about their emotionally impoverished existence.
When they do come into treatment — either by family insistence or by the legal system — they can have trouble communicating with a therapist and react in a bland, detached manner. However, when a doctor shows respect for their personal space and private thoughts, people with a schizoid personality can respond effectively to treatment.
- Medications. There's no specific drug treatment for schizoid personality. However, doctors may prescribe medications to help alleviate some symptoms, as well as associated conditions such as anxiety and depression. For example, the psychological inability to experience pleasure can be treated with bupropion (Wellbutrin). Risperidone (Risperdal) or olanzapine (Zyprexa) can help with flattened emotions and social problems.
- Psychotherapy. Cognitive behavior therapy — which focuses on adjusting the thinking and behaviors that cause problems — can help a person with schizoid personality disorder develop social skills and increase sensitivity to interpersonal cues. For example, a person with schizoid personality disorder might learn appropriate ways to react when faced with certain stimuli, such as being introduced to someone at a party. The goal of treatment is to be supportive and practical, and to alleviate social anxiety and isolation.
- Group therapy. Treatment can be more effective when people with the disorder can interact with others in practicing new interpersonal skills. Group therapy may also offer people with schizoid personality disorder a support structure and increase social motivation. However, group therapy isn't effective for everybody.
- 1. Pfohl B. Personality disorders. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 10, 2008.
- 2. Personality disorders. The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library: The Merck Manual for Patients and Caregivers. http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec07/ch105/ch105a.html. Accessed Aug. 1, 2008.
- 3. Skodol AE, et al. Positive childhood experiences: Resilience and recovery from personality disorder in early adulthood. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 2007;68(7):1102-1108.
- 4. Schizoid personality disorder. In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 4th ed. Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Association Publishing; 2000.
- 5. Schizoid personality disorder. In: Sadock BJ, et al. Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2005:2081-2082.
- 6. Zanni GR. The graying of personality disorders: Persistent, but different. The Consultant Pharmacist. 2007: 22(12):995-1003.
