What are the causes of schizotypal personality disorder?
Schizotypal personality disorder shares some features with the mental disorder schizophrenia. People with schizotypal personality are often loners and seem paranoid, unapproachable and suspicious. Like schizophrenics, they have distorted thought patterns and beliefs, and, in extreme cases, they can experience psychotic delusions or hallucinations, particularly under stress. In some cases, a schizotypal personality can disintegrate into frank schizophrenia. Schizotypal personality’s similarity to schizophrenia offers clues as to possible causes of this disorder. People with this personality type are more likely to have relatives with schizophrenia than are normal people. Despite the similarities, schizophrenia is a distinct diagnosis, and it’s important to differentiate between the two, and not assume schizotypal personality disorder is a milder form of schizophrenia.
