Paranoid, Schizoid, and Schizotypal Personality Disorders

Abstract

In DSM-IV-TR (2000), Paranoid, Schizoid, and Schizotypal Personality Disorders are collectively categorized as “Cluster A” on the basis of the rationale that individuals with these disorders often appear odd or eccentric. This is a plausible reason for grouping these disorders together and it is consistent with the long-standing idea that these disorders are “schizophrenic spectrum disorders” that are closely related to Schizophrenia. However, current empirical research suggests that the three disorders are distinct from each other (Nestadt, Hanfelt, Liang, Lamacz, Wolyniec, & Pulver, 1994) and does not necessarily support the hypothesis that all three disorders are related to Schizophrenia (e.g., Maier, Lichtermann, Minges & Heun, 1994). In this chapter, these will be treated as three distinct disorders.