I’m really obsessed with the topic of mental disorders, and specifically the ones that I was diagnosed with. And here’s what I found.

There are literally hundreds of articles out there that talk about the blur between Asperger‘s and schizoid personality disorder. And as someone who was diagnosed with schizoid and suggested that I could have the former, this is very, very interesting to me.

Here’s what they both have in common. They are both viewed as socially odd or awkward, has difficulty with maintaining relationships, may not meet eye contact, have traits relating to ADD, appears emotionally aloof, and does not prefer to socialize as much as a quote unquote normal person would.

But Asperger’s is ultimately a milder form of autism. And therefore, it is a neurological condition that exists in a person from birth. On the other hand, schizoid PD is something that you develop over time. It often starts in early adulthood, but it can also be evident in a person from childhood.

But here’s where the problem arises. No one knows the exact cause for either of the conditions. And there is no completely objective criteria that exists, naturally because psychology is categorized by humans and developed and understood by humans. Both are on spectrums. Asperger’s on the autism side, and schizoid PD more or less on the schizophrenia side. So isn’t it possible that these two overlap? Especially if we are talking about related or milder forms of both, doesn’t the wall between the two become too short to even justify it existing? 

The second apparent difference is that while people with Asperger’s simply cannot understand gestures and social cues because their brains are wired differently, people with schizoid PD are just unwilling to do so. And if they display similar social difficulties, it’s because they have not practiced enough.

But this is a subtle distinction, and one that is hard to segregate between the two. For example, how would a person know if he or she does not understand social cues because they truly lack the ability or because their mental disorder makes them unable to do so? Or is there even a difference? Should there be a difference? 

Personally, for months, I have been very frustrated because I myself do not know which I fit in. I match the majority of symptoms for both, but with schizoid PD, the one that I was told to definitely have, I cannot agree with an important criteria, which is that I should be indifferent to criticism or praise. But that is simply not true. Both can push me emotionally to the point where I get very overwhelmed and don’t know what to do, and end up breaking down. 

And apparently people with schizoid PD generally do not have traits such as being sensitive to sound or other senses, having obsessive interests or displaying repetitive and stereotypical movements, traits specific to autism, but that is also false. I have collected small pieces of metal when I was young, my auditory stimming when I was five caused my teacher to kick me out of class, and I once printed out the entire script for Iron Man and memorized it. I am also very, very sensitive to sound and sometimes smell or even light.

So which am I? Or does it even matter? Does psychology need a better explanation for both?