A pervasive pattern of detachment from social relationships and a restricted range of expression of emotions in interpersonal settings, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by four (or more) of the following:

• neither desires nor enjoys close relationships, including being part of a family

• almost always chooses solitary activities

• has little, if any, interest in having sexual experiences with another person

• takes pleasure in few, if any, activities

• lacks close friends or confidants other than first-degree relatives

• appears indifferent to the praise or criticism of others

• shows emotional coldness, detachment, or flattened affectivity

Treatment  

 

Criteria summarized from:
American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fourth edition. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

« Disorders Index

Last reviewed:
  On 7 Sep 2006
  By John M. Grohol, Psy.D.