Can you relate to schizoid personality disorder?

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Wing says that Asperger's is a form of Schizoid Personality Disorder. The difference being in severity plus the lacking of showing and appreciating nonverbal cues in Asperger's.

It wasn't grouped into Schizoid Personality Disorder for the simple reason of more accurate categorisation; it's closer to Early Infantile Autism than the former, so it's an ASD/PDD rather than a PD.

Often it is attractive to consider DSM IV TR as a definitive gold standard; it seems reasurring. But in actuality that is not the case.

It is sometimes illuminating and freeing to consider that DSM is simply a convention formulated by committee. Nothing in it is actually "real;" it is a creation of humanity. It is only a tool utilized by the clinician to organize a conceptualization regarding a case, and therefore obtain probabilities, epidaemiologies, and possible effective treatments. But in essence it is only a committee-generated version of what Kraeplin was doing in the 1880's. The methodology is identical. Except it is complicated as it is a product of committee.

Committes may be adept at determining a decision. They are not adept necessarily at finding "truth." Consider Salem, Massachusetts circa 1692.

The future is hopefully analysis and grouping of data generated from functional neuroimaging: to see patterns of activity within the cranium. It is well possible that schizoid, schizotypal, and autism spectrum are but differing manifestations of an essentially identical neurobiologic process.

The difficulty is when we fall in love with our current concepts, it may hinder new ideas. In that manner DSM and current concepts/nosologies DSM adherents propose may ret*d progress - in a manner analogous to those accustomed to a geocentric solar system being reluctant to accept the heliocentric system.

That would be sad.

The DSM IV TR allows for a diagnosis of Schizoid PD if it "[d]oes not occur exclusively during the course of Schizophrenia, a Mood Disorder With Psychotic Features, another Psychotic Disorder, or a Pervasive Developmental Disorder and is not due to the direct physiological effects of a general medical condition."

Thus, under the DSM IV Schizoid and AS are alternative diagnoses. In any event, I do not meet the other criteria. The DSM requires 4 or more of the listed criteria which I categorize below:

I meet this:
--almost always chooses solitary activities


I may meet these depending on how each is interpretted:
--lacks close friends or confidants other than first-degree relatives appears indifferent to the praise or criticism of others
--shows emotional coldness, detachment, or flattened affectivity


I do not meet these:
--neither desires nor enjoys close relationships, including being part of a family
--has little, if any, interest in having sexual experiences with another person
--takes pleasure in few, if any, activities