Schizotypal Forum

I want to respond to Karla's second post on this thread.

Your concerns seem fair to me. If I were in you position (that of someone who had been diagnosed with the disorder) I might ask the same questions and offer similar arguments.

As I have said in my introduction, I was not diagnosed with StPD. At first I felt okay with this but now I feel concern - I realize that this is a forum created for people with schizophrenic spectrum to give and recieve support from others in a similar position.

After having giving it some more thought I now think that I have barged in on your space. Sure I felt that I was schizotypal but now I have doubts - like you said Karla - we all have traits that resemble personality disorders but that doesn't necessarily mean that we have them. I self disgnosed because of this - after having read a lot about the disorder I saw a lot of my experiences reflected there: ideas of reference (which can get nearly schizophrenic), paranoia, odd beliefs/magical thinking...I just fit the bill. But alas! maybe a lot or most people do but like others I still can say that I sit in a normal range.

Why have I not seen a shrink? Quite frankly, I fear them. Growing up it had always been suggested that I might be schizo-something (because I have always been quite crazy) and I was treated pretty harshly. I quicky found out that mental health isues of any kind were very stigmatized and also people with these issues had to be fixed.

Seeing as how I am running out of space I willleave with this note: in as a gesture of respect - if anyone is uncomfortable with me here I will understand - I could leave.

Hi Schizotipping,

Please don't leave because of my post! I like your posts!

In my original post, I was just venting. I did feel like there were a lot of undiagnosed people "barging in" on my space here on the forum. But the forum isn't mine, and I'm just one in a hundred, so thinking back, I shouldn't have written what I did.

I am coming to understand why people self-diagnose. I still don't understand why they don't feel the need to go to a doctor and get the diagnosis validated, but I am beginning to accept.

Like MGMT said, please don't feel unwelcome because of me, you are most welcome here!

My therapist told me that she thinks I have schizotypal personality disorder, but I don't think it fits at all, and I'd like some input. I took the quiz and only scored 17 out of 74.

It's true that I don't like talking to people and find it very difficult, and I'm very anxious in social situations, but I don't have a fear of relationships or of closeness, and I relate very well to the people that I'm very close to.

I have absolutely no instances of magic thinking. I don't believe in signs or synchronicity at all. I don't believe in ghosts, aliens, etc. I don't even believe in god or any sort of spirituality, as they just seem like fairy tales to me, with no basis in reality.

I'm also not paranoid, even less paranoid than the average person. It's not uncommon for some people to have thoughts like, "I know she didn't say hello to me because she wants to put me in my place," which is a type of thinking that could be characterized as mildly paranoid, but I don't ever think that way. If anything I'm much more naive than average.

I may be somewhat eccentric, since I don't care very much about how I look, and my beliefs may be slightly unusual in that politically I'm much farther to the left than the majority of Americans, but I don't think that's a symptom of "disturbed thought patterns"?

Is it possible to be schizotypal and have no paranoia, magic thinking or strange thoughts?

Hi Static,

I'm very much like you when it comes to (not) fitting the criteria. I could've written that post!

I did have some strange thoughts/experiences at the time of diagnosis (pre-meds) though, which were borderline psychotic.
But I'm thinking, which criteria do you think you do fit?

I would recommend that you take a look at this site: http://schizotypaldisorder.webs.com/schizotypaldisorder.htm, especially the part about "Signs & Symptoms", and think about which of them fits you.

It could be that you're an atypical Schizotypal like me, or your therapist could be way off track.

Why are you seeing a therapist in the first place? What are your symptoms, thinking outside the schizotypal box?

Karla, thank you for your reply.

My opinion is that my therapist is way off, but I wanted to hear from other people who know more about this. ( I stopped seeing her when she came up with this diagnosis, because I felt so discouraged that after talking to her for 6 months she understood so little about me.)

The only part of the disorder that describes me is the social anxiety. Everything else is pretty much the opposite of how I am. I have never had any strange thoughts or experiences, and I don't believe in any supernatural or non-scientific beliefs at all. I'm not even "flaky".

I'm seeing the therapist for depression.

And thinking outside the schizotypal box, as you said, I think I may have more of a mild case of Asperger's.