The 4 differences between autism and schizoid personality

How to distinguish between Autism Spectrum Disorders and Schizoid Personality Disorder?

Sometimes two psychological disorders may involve a symptomatology that may coincide in some aspects.

Although this happens, each pathology has very specific characteristics that distinguish it from the others. In this case we will delve into the differences between autism spectrum disorders and schizoid personality to know how to distinguish them. to know how to distinguish them.

Are there differences between autism and schizoid personality? Previous questions

Psychology is a fully established science and its methodology is increasingly standardized. There are diagnostic manuals that describe in detail the criteria that a patient must present in order for us to classify his or her symptoms as a specific disorder. One of the main manuals used is the DSM-5, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, in its fifth revision, published by the American Psychiatric Association.

On the other hand we would find the ICD-10, the International Classification of Diseases, in its tenth revision, published by the World Health Organization. Both manuals describe the characteristics of each of the mental health disorders and the criteria by which a professional can make a diagnosis of compatibility between the symptomatology of a patient and a specific disorder.

Within this range of diagnoses, there are some in which a priori it might seem that there is a certain convergence in symptoms. However, there are always distinctions that make them unique. This is the case of the differences between autism and schizoid personality. These differentiating aspects are important, since they form the criteria that guide the psychologist or psychiatrist to be able to frame the symptomatology within one or the other disorder.

It is essential that the professional performs a correct evaluation discriminating between all the symptomatology in order to have an accurate diagnosis and begin an appropriate treatment. diagnosis and start a treatment oriented to improve the patient's situation.. If this stage were to fail, all the work that would follow would lose effectiveness, since the patient would be receiving a series of measures that do not correspond exactly to the pathology suffered by that person.

What are the differences between autism and Schizoid Personality Disorder ?

We have already anticipated the importance of a correct distinction between different pathologies. Now we will proceed to see in detail the main differences between autism and schizoid personality.

1. Definition

Obviously, two different disorders are going to have independent definitions in which we will already be given a series of important details to be able to distinguish between both diagnostic labels.

First of all, schizoid personality disorder is a pathology that falls into cluster A of personality disorders, characterized by eccentric behavior, eccentric behavior, and schizoid personality disorder.characterized by eccentric behavior and where schizotypal and paranoid personality would also be found. According to the DSM-5, schizoid personality is characterized by a general tendency to have distant or no social relationships, as well as to show a very reduced emotional expression.

On the other hand, autism spectrum disorder, although it encompasses a whole series of cases, is characterized by a series of difficulties in communicating and interacting socially with peers, as well as a rigidity in the variety of behaviors.

2. Social relationships

There are differences between autism and schizoid personality when it comes to social relationships. Although people suffering from either disorder usually have difficulties in interacting with others, the fact is that the underlying causes for this are not always the same. the underlying causes of this fact in each of these pathologies are different, and therefore represent one of the most important and therefore they suppose one of the great inequalities between both diagnoses.

In the case of the schizoid personality, some of the criteria that appear to diagnose it would be the not to have interest to maintain to initiate social relationsThe criteria are: not having a close circle of friends or people of trust, beyond the closest relatives. Another criterion is to have practically no desire to have sexual relations.

However, when we refer to autism spectrum disorders, the causes are different. Here it is worth pointing out that this is a spectrum disorder, which means that it occurs in different degrees of intensity, depending on the level of functionality of the individual, which can range from very low, being unable to take care of himself, to high, in which he can live independently, as in the case of those with Asperger's disease.

In the case of these people, they also have deficient social relationships, but not because they do not want to have them, as was the case with those with schizoid personality disorder.They have difficulty relating to others in a conventional way, which in many occasions generates conflicts and prevents them from establishing more abundant or long-term relationships.

Another area in which individuals with what was known as Asperger's syndrome may experience problems is in nonverbal communication, which may not be as fluid or congruent with verbal language as that which would be emitted by a person without this type of disorder. In the case of people with schizoid disorder, they would not have any significant problems in managing their nonverbal language, so for them it is not a problem.The difference, therefore, lies in the fact that they would not have any impediment.

The difference, therefore, would lie in the origin. For people suffering from schizoid personality the cause would be that they prefer to be alone and not to have to relate to anyone. On the contrary, people with autism, and more specifically with Asperger's, do not necessarily have the desire to be alone, but experience difficulties when engaging in social relationships, so they end up having fewer of them.

Types of behavior 3.

The behaviors that individuals prefer to engage in is also another important difference between autism and schizoid personality. To begin with, patients with autism spectrum disorders may have dysfunctions in their sensory processing system, causing them to be hyposensitive.This, among other reasons, causes them to be hyposensitive or hypersensitive to certain stimuli, including those received through hearing and touch.

This, among other reasons, means that these individuals tend to prefer to perform a series of very specific activities, within patterns that are generally rigid. In other words, they do not tend to accept innovations easily. Therefore, it could be said that their behaviors are limited by certain preferences and, as far as possible, they prefer not to deviate from these guidelines.

On the other hand, when we speak of subjects suffering from schizoid personality disorder, we also find criteria associated with this pathology that refer to the activities they perform, but the motivations are different. In these people there is a generalized tendency to choose those activities in which they do not have to deal with other people, because they prefer to be alone, without interacting with peers. Not only that, but there is not a great motivation in the realization of activities, being very few those that cause them some satisfaction.

Therefore, those with schizoid personalities would also be seriously limiting the range of activities they prefer to do, but not because they prefer particular patterns but because they find no reinforcement in virtually any of them. not because they prefer particular patterns but because they find no reinforcement in virtually any of the activities they prefer to do.. But within the possibilities, they will normally choose those that do not involve contact with other people, because they prefer solitude.

4. Emotionality

Another difference between autism and schizoid personality has to do with the emotional aspect, especially in relation to social interactions. To begin with, when we talk about schizoid personality disorder, we find characteristics in the diagnostic manuals that state that these persons are emotionally cold, do not feel affection with practically any individual and prefer to keep their distance from their peers..

Also in relation to emotionality, it has been detected that schizoid patients have no reaction to criticism from others, regardless of whether it is in a negative or positive sense. In both cases the same response is produced in the individual, which is none other than indifference.

The case of people on the autism spectrum is very different. We have already seen in the point on social relationships that they do have an interest in interacting with others, only that on many occasions they suffer from difficulties in doing so in a socially accepted manner, which leads to confusion or uncomfortable situations. This This means an overexertion to consciously analyze nonverbal language and the intentionality of the interlocutor, which can be exhausting.which can be exhausting.

Therefore, it does not mean that people with Asperger's or other types of autism prefer to remain emotionally distant or are unable to express their affection, but that because of their characteristics it is possible that they may experience more difficulties in having interactions or building relationships with other people than those who do not suffer from this disorder.

Bibliographical references:

• Canal, R., Rivière, A. (1993). The communicative behavior of autistic children in natural interaction situations. Studies in psychology. Taylor & Francis.
• Wolff, S., Barlow, A. (1979). Schizoid personality in childhood: A comparative study of schizoid, autistic and normal children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. Wiley Online Library.
• Wolff, S. (2000). Schizoid personality in childhood and Asperger syndrome. Asperger syndrome.