In this episode of the Personality Couch Podcast, we (licensed clinical psychologists Doc Bok and Doc Fish) dive into the origins, diagnostic criteria, and oddities associated with schizotypal personality disorder and what it means to be almost psychotic, but not quite. We unpack idiosyncrasies and “cognitive slippage” of schizotypals that include odd speech patterns, suspiciousness, emotional expression, and social anxiety. This episode also highlights the importance of cultural context in diagnosis and not overpathologizing trends or religious norms. We also explore the overlap with and risk of schizophrenia in schizotypals, along with long-term implications of living in a quasi-psychotic cognitive space.

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Chapters

00:00 Intro & History of Schizotypal Personality 

01:15 DSM Criteria Schizotypal Personality 

     02:59 Ideas of Reference

     05:35 Odd Beliefs and Magical Thinking

              08:18 Exploring Cultural Oddities vs Psychosis

     11:05 Unusual Perceptual Experiences

     12:44 Odd Thinking & Speech

     17:45 Suspiciousness and Paranoia

     18:34 Emotional Expression, Behavior, and Appearance

     20:13 Lack of Close Relationships and Anxiety

23:42 Schizotypal Differential Diagnosis

24:46 Schizotypals’ Relationship to Schizophrenia

29:33 Summary and Conclusion