After finding this newsgroup I was disappointed to find very little
participation and what participation there was seemed to be concerned with
"hearing voices." Below are the symptoms of the Schizoid personality--none
of which include hearing voices.

Schizoid personality disorder
Fantasizing
Extreme introversion
Emotional distance, even from family members
Fixation on your own thoughts and feelings
Emotional detachment

Schizoid personality disorder is a condition in which people avoid social
activities and consistently shy away from interaction with others. People
with the disorder are generally loners with a profound inability to connect
with others and form personal relationships.
To others, people with schizoid personality disorder may appear aloof, dull
or humorless, and they are often ignored in social settings. People with the
disorder show a flattened or restricted range of emotions, and can appear
indifferent to what's going on around them. However, their inner life can be
rife with a deep emotional need, sensitivity and confusion about the world
around them.
It's unclear whether people with schizoid personality disorder willingly
embrace isolation, or secretly crave intimacy but find interpersonal
relations too distressing. What is clear is that people with schizoid
personality disorder withdraw at the expense of relationships with people
they care about, even spouses.
The cause of schizoid personality disorder is unknown, although genetics and
environmental factors both come into play. It's difficult to treat people
with schizoid personality disorder because they consider therapy intrusive.
However, some therapeutic approaches and medications may help relieve some
symptoms of this chronic condition.

Signs and symptoms
People with schizoid personality disorder are loners. Generally they:
Choose activities that don't require interaction with others
Prize solitude and independence
Are often unable to respond to normal social cues in social settings
Harbor little desire for sexual experiences with others
Can appear dull or indifferent to others
Are followers rather than leaders in groups
Some tendencies can appear in childhood and continue through adolescence and
into early adulthood.
People with schizoid personality disorder may appear detached and aloof to
outsiders, but some experts believe that they're actually quite sensitive
and experience a deep longing for intimacy. However, people with schizoid
personality disorder either are incapable of initiating and maintaining a
personal relationship, or find themselves suffocated or anxious in the
company of others. Thus they retreat into their inner worlds and view their
environs with great confusion, or seek relationships for security but break
away repeatedly.
Often, people with schizoid personality disorder populate the fringes of
life - working the midnight shift at a grocery store or running the
projector at a movie theater. They may live in the basement of their elderly
parents' homes or in some cases become homeless, refusing outreach services.

Symptoms of schizoid personality disorder include:
Emotional coldness or aloofness
Indifference to praise or criticism and the feelings of others
Close friendships with no more than one or two people, including family
members
Social withdrawal, or continual avoidance of social activities
Flattened emotions or lack of expressivity
Inability to experience pleasure (anhedonia)
General feeling of discomfort or restlessness (dysphoria)
Having little to say
Lack of motivation or persistence (avolition)
Tendency toward underperformance in school or work settings
The schizophrenic spectrum
Schizoid personality disorder is considered part of the "schizophrenic
spectrum" of disorders, which includes schizotypal personality disorder and
schizophrenia. These conditions all have similar symptoms, such as an
incapacity for social relations and emotional inexpressiveness. The main
distinction is that people with schizoid personality don't usually
experience the perceptual distortions, paranoia or illusions characteristic
of schizotypal personality or the psychotic episodes of schizophrenia.
Although their speech lacks enthusiasm, what people with schizoid
personality disorder say is rarely abnormal or odd, as in the conversational
patterns of people with schizotypal personality disorder.

Causes
The exact causes of schizoid personality disorder are unknown, although a
combination of genetic and environmental factors - particularly in early
childhood - are thought to contribute to development of all personality
disorders.
A person with schizoid personality disorder may have had a parent who was
cold or unresponsive to emotional needs, or might have grown up in a foster
home where there was no love. Or, because people with schizoid personality
disorder are often described as being hypersensitive or thin-skinned in
early adolescence, a person with schizoid personality disorder may have had
needs that others treated with exasperation or scorn.
A family history - such as having a parent who has any of the disorders on
the schizophrenic spectrum - also increases the chances of developing the
disorder.

Risk factors
Personality development is affected by genetic tendencies as well as
environmental factors, particularly during childhood. Factors that increase
the risk of developing schizoid personality disorder include:
Having a parent or other relative who has schizoid personality disorder
Experiencing a childhood environment of neglect or scorn
Suffering child abuse or mistreatment
Having an emotionally detached parent

When to seek medical advice
Because personality tends to become entrenched with age, treatment for a
personality disorder has the possibility of being more effective if it
begins as early as possible.
People with schizoid personality disorder tend to shun interaction with
medical professionals and are likely to seek help only at the urging of
relatives or teachers or intervention by the legal system.
If you suspect someone may have schizoid personality disorder, be on the
lookout for signs and symptoms such as consistent emotional detachment and
social isolation. You might gently suggest that the person seek medical
attention, starting with a primary care physician or mental health
professional.

Screening and diagnosis
There are no laboratory tests for schizoid personality disorder, and
diagnosis usually comes after a thorough clinical interview. During this
interview, the doctor will ask questions about symptoms and mental
well-being, and take a medical, psychiatric and social history. A physical
examination can help rule out other conditions, and a mental health
professional will likely be consulted for further evaluation.
In order for someone to receive a diagnosis of schizoid personality
disorder, he or she must meet at least four of the following criteria:
Neither desires nor enjoys close relationships, including being part of a
family
Almost always chooses solitary activities
Has little, if any, interest in sexual experiences with another person
Takes pleasure in few, if any, activities and rarely experiences strong
emotions
Lacks close friends or confidantes other than first-degree relatives
Appears indifferent to praise or criticism
Shows emotional coldness, detachment or flattened emotions
In addition, the symptoms must not occur exclusively during a bout of
schizophrenia, a mood disorder with psychotic features, another psychotic
disorder or a pervasive developmental disorder (such as autism or Asperger's
syndrome). Also, a diagnosis of schizoid personality disorder may not be
appropriate should symptoms be due to the direct physiological effects of a
general medical condition.
Further complicating a diagnosis is that the symptoms of schizoid
personality may resemble autism or Asperger's syndrome.

Complications
People with schizoid personality are at an increased risk of:
Developing schizotypal personality disorder, schizophrenia or other
delusional disorder
Drug addiction, particularly to psychedelic drugs
Alcohol addiction
Major depression
Anxiety disorder
Panic disorder
Social phobia
Other personality disorders

Further, because people with schizoid personality disorder may have trouble
interpreting and responding to social stimuli, they may have trouble warding
off the predatory behavior of other people. As a result, they may be more
prone to victimization than are most other people.

Treatment
Schizoid personality disorder can be difficult to treat because people with
the disorder are inclined to go their own way and prefer not to come in
contact with medical professionals. Further, they sometimes settle into
complacency about their emotionally impoverished existence.
When they do come into treatment - either by family insistence or by the
legal system - they can have trouble communicating with a therapist and
react in a bland, detached manner. However, when a doctor shows respect for
their personal space and private thoughts, people with a schizoid
personality can respond effectively to treatment.

Medications. There's no specific drug treatment for schizoid personality.
However, doctors may prescribe medications to help alleviate some symptoms,
as well as associated conditions such as anxiety and depression. For
example, the psychological inability to experience pleasure can be treated
with bupropion (Wellbutrin). Risperidone (Risperdal) or olanzapine (Zyprexa)
can help with flattened emotions and social problems.

Psychotherapy. Cognitive behavior therapy - which focuses on adjusting the
thinking and behaviors that cause problems - can help a person with schizoid
personality disorder develop social skills and increase sensitivity to
interpersonal cues. For example, a person with schizoid personality disorder
might learn appropriate ways to react when faced with certain stimuli, such
as being introduced to someone at a party. The goal of treatment is to be
supportive and practical, and to alleviate social anxiety and isolation.
Group therapy. Treatment can be more effective when people with the disorder
can interact with others in practicing new interpersonal skills. Group
therapy may also offer people with schizoid personality disorder a support
structure and increase social motivation. However, group therapy isn't
effective for everybody.