Schizotypal Personality Disorder, Case Study Example

The individual in the video was referred to the psychiatrist by his mother. She is worried that he does not have many friends, is unable to form a meaningful relationship with women, and is dealing with frustration and annoyance. The man in the video believes that his mother is simply nagging him and that it would not be beneficial for him to enter a relationship at this point in life. He prefers to be independent, claiming that he likes his privacy and does not need to spend time with his friends. Furthermore, he is close to his mother but does not have a close relationship with his father or sister. He enjoys independent activities, which include a focus on his work and online games like the World of Warcraft. The client reports that he is depressed that there isn’t much left on the planet to discover, so he tries to compensate with this lack of interesting presence by engaging in online activities.

Overall, the client appears to be somewhat depressed. He does not have many interests and hobbies, although he has demonstrated his obsession with online games. Furthermore, he considers himself to be intelligent and highly capable of academic work and progressing his career. However, he has a poor level of emotional health and does not engage in communication with others to a significant extent. The only individual that he believes it worthwhile to speak to is his mother, although it is apparent that he could become easily annoyed by her behaviors as well.

It is apparent that this client could be diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder, which is characterized by a lack of interest in social relationships and general apathy. Although the client demonstrates that he has some interests, they are characteristics of the disorder because he shows that reality exists for him primarily within a fantasy world. The client is fascinated by the World of Warcraft because it allows him to accomplish things that cannot happen in real life. Therefore, he is drawn to the game because it enables him to achieve his goals within the context of an online universe. However, this shows that the patient has no interest in interacting with others because this activity, although a multiplayer online game, does not require direct contact with other people and allows players to play through the multitude of content independently.

Since the DSM classifies this disorder as having symptoms of depression, withdrawal from society, emotional coldness, and apathy, it could be said that this client is a textbook case. He also feels that this behavior he is participating in is considered normal and has always acted this way, so he does not view it as a problem. However, his mother is worried about him which demonstrates that there may have been a change in his personality overtime. Therefore, it would be beneficial for him to continue seeing a therapist so that this problem could be resolved. The patient would benefit from recognizing when his behaviors are considered atypical, and allowing him to understand his own behaviors more significantly will allow him to develop social skills that will help him better in his work and home lives and help him feel more achieved overall. Once this is formally diagnosed, the client will be on his path to recovery.

References

Guntrip, Harry. (1969). Schizoid Phenomena, Object-Relations, and The Self. New York: International Universities Press.

Magnavita, Jeffrey J. (1997). Restructuring Personality Disorders: A Short-Term Dynamic Approach. New York: The Guilford Press.