Treatment can be difficult because of initial reduced capacity or desire to form a relationship with a health professional. A non-intrusive support group can alleviate feelings of solitude, and fears of social interactions and close relationships. Individual therapy, in most cases, has proven relatively ineffective and often temporarily addresses immediate conditions instead of seeking to terminate the disorder entirely.
Medications
Medications are not usually recommended for schizoid personality disorder. However, they are sometimes used for short-term treatment of extreme anxiety states associated with the disorder. The presence of anxiety--usually caused by fear of other people--may mean that a diagnosis of the related Schizotypal Personality Disorder is more appropriate.
Psychotherapy
Individual therapy that successfully attains a long-term level of trust may be useful in certain cases of schizoid personality disorder by giving patients an outlet to transform their false perceptions of friendships into authentic relationships. As a therapist-client relationship develops, a patient can start to reveal imaginary friendships and terrors of dependency. Individual psychotherapy can gradually affect the formation of a true relationship between the patient and therapist.
