Other disorders that affect social competences?

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Are there other disorders that highly affect social competence and social skills apart from autism spectrum disorders and social anxiety disorder?

If someone had an impairment in social skills and social competence since early childhood would you think that this is because that's what they learned (in childhood) or could it be something else?

(I'm currently undertaking the first steps to undergo an ASD evaluation but wanted to dig into the possibilities beforehand.)

Schizophrenia can impair social competence and social skills .

Just about everything listed in the DSM. It's expensive to buy, but a local library should have or be able to transfer a copy to its branch.

Schizophrenia, bipolar (manic/depressive), anxiety, depression-in short, anything that affects a person mentally and emotionally also affects a person socially.

Obsessive compulsive disorder can make people do really strange things that impair with socialization.

You are right.

I clarify my question:

When I'm asking about other conditions that affect social skills and competences, I'm not referring to this criterion that virtually every disorder in the DSM has:



While true that disorders affect everyone in one way or another on a social level, I'm asking and searching for disorders whose main criteria describe social impairments, social deficits in social skills, social competences.
For example:

This is the first criterion of ASD.

Are there any other similar disorders with a criterion concerning social interactions as its main criterion?

Social phobia doesn't have that really since it talks about the fear of social situations and avoidance of it.

Intellectual disabilities, downs syndrome, ADHD, Fragile-X syndrome, dementia and schizophrenia can have an effect on social performance. The nature of the condition may not be "socially impaired", but their other existing symptoms can still affect the social areas too.
Social development is very complex.

I'd say Fragile-X syndrome. I have an allistic friend with this condition and she has always found it hard to make or keep friends, and she finds social situations confusing.

Yes. As of the DSM 5 there's now something called "Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder," which isn't considered to be part of the autism spectrum although, under the DSM IV criteria, people now diagnosed with Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder would previously have been diagnosed with either "Asperger's disorder" or "PDD-NOS."

There are also various personality disorders that can affect various aspects of social skills.


All kinds of things can affect social skills, including the child's upbringing.

Specific disorders I know of that affect social competence (as opposed to disorders which cause social conflict, but not due to a lack of competence).

Autism Spectrum Disorder
Social Communication Disorder
Nonverbal Learning Disorder
Prosopagnosia
Alexithymia
Aphantasia

I hope this helps.

Thank you. Yes, this helps.

I asked a therapist this very question and he told me that there is no single disorder that affects social competence (due to a lack of social competence) but that all disorders affect social competence.

I was sure that this can't be right.

PTSD, schizophrenia, Schizotypical or Schizoid personality disorder, Borderline Personality disorder, Narcissistic personality disorder, anxiety, non verbal learning disorder, ADHD, trauma, being sheltered so therefore it had stunted their social skills, low IQ, dyspraxia, learning disability, social communication disorder, language disorder, ODD.

This is a necessary thread. I wish people outside of wrong planet can read it.

There is something about an autism diagnosis that makes certain people disappointed if they do not receive it.

That there are so many conditions that affect social competences is what lends itself to misdiagnoses both self and professional. Self diagnosis may be necessary due to lack of resources both financial and professional but it needs to be done very thoroughly. If you are being impaired by social incompetences the goal should be not necessarily to get an Autism diagnosis per se but to find out why for the purpose of correct treatment. Treatments for misdiagnosis may be partially or totally correct but your odds are better with the correct diagnosis.

Correct diagnosis will get you a correct treatment. I agree with this.

At the moment, I am both in therapy as well as taking steps for an ASD evaluation.

I don't care that much for getting an ASD diagnosis per se. I'm interested in a thorough evaluation of my cognitive capabilities among other factors because I have had and have several things that I would like evaluated and then see the report for my peace of mind and a correct treatment if needed.

I had a diagnosis for social anxiety disorder. However, after having myself screened more in detail the therapist now disagrees with this diagnosis (because it's not that I fear social situations, it's that my social skills are lacking). Instead he believes I just never learned social competences which I'm not sure is correct, either. But he also told me there exists no diagnosis for someone with a marked lack of social competence which I found a strange thing to say. Which again is not the only thing I have trouble with but it seems like I'm not taken seriously which is why I will be additionally evaluated for ASD and I'm also in the process for evaluation for sensory processing disorder because I have difficulties with sounds and noises (although I hear perfectly well on a normal hearing test).

You're certainly not alone in that. One condition that is at epidemic levels is Medical Competence Deficit Disorder.

With me, I didn't at first consider Asperger's because of social impairment, but because of special interests. Then I got ahold of old psych records from when I was a child, that detailed bad social skills and they had to give me therapy for it.

I have an appointment again with my psychatrist tomorrow and I might ask her why in my records she ruled out autism spectrum. My talk therapist thinks that currently I might not be seen as truly disabled in the social realm, even if I was in the past, disqualifying me from a spectrum diagnosis currently.

When I was inpatient not long ago, in a group a psychologist talking about disorders explained that in schizophrenia like autism a person experiences alexythymia and social skills impairment, but also has psychosis. But in schizoaffective the person is much more emotional. I'm over the top emotional, which has earned me a scizoaffective-bipolar type dx (when I get manic I develop psychosis) and a borderline dx.

But what is causing the special interests if I only have mental Illness like the doc says?

Alll talk about disorders is so confusing...