The 4 Differences Between Autism And Schizoid Personality
Sometimes two psychological disorders can involve symptoms that may coincide in some aspects.
Although this occurs, each pathology has very specific characteristics that distinguish it from the others. In this case we are going to delve into the differences that exist between autism spectrum disorders and schizoid personality to know how to distinguish them.
Are there differences between autism and schizoid personality? Previous issues
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 so that we can frame their symptoms with 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 issue a diagnosis of compatibility between a patient’s symptoms 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 the 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 make up the criteria that guide the psychologist or psychiatrist to be able to frame the symptomatology within one disorder or another.
It is essential that the professional carry out a correct evaluation, discriminating between all the symptoms in order to have an accurate diagnosis and begin treatment aimed at improving the patient’s situation. If you fail at this stage, all the work that would come later would lose effectiveness, as you would be receiving a series of measures that do not exactly correspond 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 are going to 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 they will give us a series of important details to be able to distinguish between both diagnostic labels.
First of all, Schizoid personality disorder is a pathology that is included in group A of personality disorders., characterized by eccentric behavior and where schizotypal and paranoid personalities 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 very reduced emotional expression.
For its part, autism spectrum disorder, although it encompasses a whole series of cases, is characterized by a series of difficulties when communicating and interacting socially with peers in addition to a rigidity in the variety of behaviors.
2. Social relations
There are differences between autism and schizoid personality in relation to social relationships. Although people who suffer from any of the disorders usually have difficulties interacting with others, the truth is that The causes underlying this fact in each of these pathologies are different. and therefore represent one of the great inequalities between both diagnoses.
In the case of schizoid personality, some of the criteria that appear to diagnose it would be not having interest in maintaining, starting social relationships, not having a close circle of friends or trusted people, beyond the closest relatives. Even another criterion is having practically no desire to have sexual relations.
However, when we refer to autism spectrum disorders, the causes are different. Here it is worth making a point to remember 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 oneself. , to high, in which you can live independently, which is the case of those who suffer from Asperger’s.
In the case of those people, also They have deficient social relationships, but not because they do not want to have them, as happened with those who suffer from schizoid personality.but because they have difficulties relating in a conventional way, which often generates conflicts and prevents them from establishing more abundant or long-term relationships.
Another area in which individuals with what was known as Asperger syndrome may experience problems is in non-verbal communication, which may not be as fluid or congruent with verbal language as what a person without this type would emit. of disorder. In the case of people with schizoid disorder, they would not have any significant problem managing their non-verbal language.so it would not be an impediment for them.
The difference, therefore, would lie in the origin. For people who suffer from schizoid personality, the cause would be that they prefer to be alone and not have to interact with anyone. On the contrary, people with autism, and more specifically Asperger’s, do not necessarily have the desire to be alone, but they experience difficulties in establishing social relationships, so they end up having less.
3. Types of behavior
The behaviors that individuals prefer to perform also represent another of the important differences between autism and schizoid personality. For a start, Patients with autism spectrum disorders may have dysfunctions in their sensory processing systemmaking them hyposensitive or hypersensitive to certain stimuli, including those they receive through hearing and touch.
This, among other reasons, means that these individuals tend to prefer to carry out a series of very specific activities, within patterns that are generally rigid. That is, they do not usually accept innovations easily. Therefore, it could be stated that their behaviors are limited by certain preferences and, as far as possible, they prefer not to deviate from these guidelines.
On the contrary, when we talk about subjects who suffer from schizoid personality disorder, we also find criteria associated with this pathology that refer to the activities they carry out, but the motivations are different. In these people there is a general tendency to choose those activities in which they do not have to deal with other people, since they prefer to be alone, without interacting with peers. Not only that, but there is no great motivation in carrying out activities, with very few that give them any satisfaction.
Therefore, those who have a schizoid personality would also be seriously limiting the range of activities they prefer to do, but not because they prefer specific guidelines but because they do not find reinforcement in practically any. But within the possibilities, they will normally choose those that do not involve contact with other people, since 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 diagnostic manuals that affirm that these people They appear cold emotionally, they do not feel affection towards 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 direction. In both cases the same response is produced in the individual, which is none other than that of indifference.
The case of people within the autism spectrum is very different. We had already seen in the point of 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 way, which leads to confusion or uncomfortable situations. This It requires extra effort to consciously analyze the non-verbal language and the intentionality of the interlocutor.which can be exhausting.
Therefore, it does not mean that people who suffer from Asperger’s or other types of autism prefer to remain emotionally distant or cannot express their affection, but rather that due to 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.
