Is it me or does the definition of schizotypal personality disorder as Vanikin describes it sound like a crock of shtuff?? I read it and compared the DSM, ICD definitions that I found on Wikipedia and Vanikins (sp) seem very distant–almost like he made up part of it himself. Mind you I am well aware Wikipedia isn’t scholarly accepted source.
I don’t want to trash the guy too much because I found a lot of his work informative. If you want to do a Google search you will find a lot of information debunking his work.
For me it’s a matter of take what you need and leave the rest.
can you provide a quote JonP?
Sam Vaknin is the world’s leading expert on narcissism. He’s also a narcissist himself. He was diagnosed with the illness in 1996 while serving a prison term in his native Israel. Before his imprisonment on fraud-related charges, Vaknin was an award-winning writer and an accomplished businessman. He is also well-educated, having earned a doctorate in philosophy from Pacific Western University in California.
With his life in shambles, Vankin attempted to understand the disorder that had come to define his existence. The result of this painful self-scrutiny and research was Malignant Self-Love: Narcissism Revisited (Narcissus Publications), an essential text on the subject of narcissism and a consistent top-seller at the Barnes & Noble website.
“Undoubtedly, I have succeeded to harness the usually destructive power of narcissism and apply it productively for the common benefit of everyone involved. But it is still narcissism. I am stillâ€â€exclusivelyâ€â€after narcissistic supply. I am as grandiose, as exploitative, as lacking empathy as I ever was. I feel as entitled as I ever did. I fly into rages, idealize and devalue and, in general, exhibit the full spectrum of narcissistic behaviors.”
-Sam Vaknin, author/guru
That definition seems a crock of sh…te to me too to be honest…now you mention it J
It might be helpful to anyone reading this now or later, to provide a quote of Vaknins definition of schizotypal.
I don’t know what Vaknin’s interpretation is but here is what I found:
What Is It?
Schizotypal personality disorder, like other personality disorders, is a long-standing pattern of behavior and experience. As part of that pattern, the individual either has difficulty functioning or experiences a great deal of distress.
People with schizotypal personality disorder are loners who prefer to keep their distance from others and are uncomfortable being in relationships. They sometimes exhibit odd speech or behavior, and they have a limited or flat range of emotions.
These people also tend to have distorted thinking, with unusual ideas that are not consistent with prevailing cultural beliefs, for example, a strong belief in extra sensory perception (ESP). They may report unusual perceptions or strange body experiences.
Schizotypal personality disorder is in the middle of a spectrum of related disorders, with schizoid personality disorder on the milder end and schizophrenia on the more severe end. These disorders are probably biologically related. Many experts believe that people with these disorders have similar genetic vulnerabilities, but it is not clear why a person would develop a more or less severe form of the illness.
Many people with schizotypal personality disorder have subtle difficulties with memory, learning and attention. They usually do not have the more severe and disabling psychotic symptoms, such as delusions and hallucinations, that appear in schizophrenia. However, people with schizotypal personality disorder sometimes develop schizophrenia.
The pattern begins early in adulthood and continues throughout life. It appears more often in men than in women. Symptoms of depression and anxiety are quite common, with about half of people with this disorder having an episode of major depression at some point during life. Thinking may become more distorted in stressful circumstances.
Symptoms
The core symptoms of schizotypal personality disorder are:
Feelings that external events have an unusual personal meaning
Unusual thinking, beliefs, perceptions or behavior
Odd speech
Suspicious or paranoid ideas
Bland or strange emotional responses
Lack of close friends outside the family
Excessive, persistent social anxiety
Diagnosis
Schizotypal personality disorder is diagnosed on the basis of a person’s symptoms and history, usually by a mental health professional. There are no laboratory tests to determine if a person has this disorder. To differentiate schizotypal personality disorder from other mental disorders, the professional will look for signs of a mood or anxiety disorder, or the presence of psychotic thinking.
Expected Duration
All personality disorders are long-lasting (chronic). This disorder is a lifelong pattern. In contrast to an illness like depression, the pattern does not come and go.
Prevention
There is no way to prevent this disorder, but early intervention may reduce symptoms and improve functioning over the long term.
Treatment
Schizotypal personality disorder often is treated with a combination of medication and psychotherapy.
Medications are available to treat obvious symptoms. Distorted thinking is improved by antipsychotic medications, such as risperidone (Risperdal) and olanzapine (Zyprexa). Even low doses sometimes can help significantly. Depression and anxiety can be treated with antidepressant and antianxiety medications. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) � for example, fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft) and paroxetine (Paxil) may be particularly helpful if the person has depression and anxiety.
People with schizotypal personality disorders may find psychotherapy difficult because of their discomfort with relationships. However, a person with this disorder may be able to develop a trusting relationship with a therapist who appreciates his or her need for distance and who understands the discomfort.
Since people with this disorder have difficulty picking up on social cues, it is often necessary to teach specific social skills, for example, explaining that certain behaviors may be seen by others as rude or off-putting. Similarly, it is useful to teach the person how his or her thoughts and perceptions are distorted. The difficulties in social interactions can lead to personal disappointment and poor self-image throughout life. This may be an important focus of supportive psychotherapy.
If a person’s symptoms are mild to moderate, he or she may be able to adjust with relatively little support. If the problems are more severe, the person may have more difficulty maintaining a job or living independently. For example, routine interactions at work may be very awkward or may provoke anxiety. The person may not be able to accomplish daily tasks like shopping for food or other necessities. A person with schizotypal personality disorder may need more support from family members or the structure of a residential treatment setting. He or she also may need a job that requires little, if any, social interaction. It is also good if a job supervisor is willing to accommodate the person’s eccentricities.
When To Call a Professional
Since personality styles tend to become more entrenched as people get older, it is best to seek treatment as soon as significant distress or poor functioning is noticed.
Prognosis
The outlook for schizotypal personality disorder varies and depends on many factors, including the severity of the symptoms, the availability of support, how much the person’s ability to function is impaired, whether the person has depression or anxiety, and the person’s ability to participate in treatment.
It is probably not realistic to expect a person with schizotypal personality disorder to become very comfortable socially. However, some with this disorder do respond very well to treatment with medication, and they learn to find work, relationships and leisure activities that are a good fit for their personality style.
How about doing some research on your own Phoenixx and get back to us? I, for one, would look forward to hearing your intellectually superior point/counterpoint analysis on this subject.
the symptoms and treatment sound like they could be confused for asperger’s
on Mr. Vs site…he states that aspergers and cerebral narcissism are almost indestinguishable…and it is difficult to tell them apart.
All this stuff seems to flow from one disorder to another…in my humble opinion.
well
except that asperger’s isnt a personality disorder
it seems schizotypal and schizophrenic can
both be helped with pharmaceuticals and therapy
where it seems narcissists, and sociopaths cant be (although there’s just recently some murmurings that they can???)
bu from what I’ve read by aspies and auties on Wrongplanet, they dont get behind chemical treatment
interesting
I think tha Narcissists are on the wrong planet as well…an’altered reality"and being with them is like being lost in time and space sometimes…same difference?
What do i know…but Ns seem a bit autistic with their fantasies too.
Seems to me the cure to most of these “dis-orders” is not in a pill or diagnosis. The root cause of most of this stuff is the perceived lack of honest love. No real mystery there. But for various reasons, it’s so hard for some to find the real cure.
Myself included.
Just cant argue with that.
I just realized the typo in the title, thats funny JonP!!!
I’d have to agree here, I couldn’t compare or offer input Vaknin’s view on this disorder without knowing what his view is. It’d be helpful for the debate to now exactly which of Vaknin’s articles is being referenced. I only found one and it seemed right on target, so I’m assuming there’s another one out there thats might be a little more out there.
My disorder is most likely in the same cluster. As far as aspergers goes its an entirely different thing, but my ex did a wonderful job as using a self diagnosis of Aspergers to hide her personality disorder. From what I’ve seen and read on Aspergers I could see it being mistaken for a lot of things. Their misinterpretation of emotional cues could be mistaken for narcissism, and they can be quite odd and eccentric themselves.
I’m odd and eccentric myself, and my disorder lies in the same spectrum.
Sorry for the delayed response. The quote I was referring to was an abstract from one of Vaknin’s books. It’s actually the one on this site under the conditions tab. I can’t recall what it was that looked odd to me at the moment. I know there was something, but I’d have to reread what I was using to compare it to.
Oh, that is the one I had found. What strikes you about it as so far off? More often than not I see a lot I disagree with in his work, but that doesn’t seem to be one of them. It seems like it could very well be a description of a Shizotypal.
I agree with WYouth which is why I asked for a quote, I didnt notice a problem either.