Schizotypal Disorder With Borderline Personality Traits: A Case Report

Abstract

Aims

Schizotypal disorder is characterized by pervasive patterns of odd behavior, appearance, or thinking. There is also a high degree of overlap in symptoms between schizotypal and borderline personality disorders. The following case describes a case of schizotypal disorder with borderline traits.

Methods

25-year-old female presented with history of mood fluctuations with recent low mood, anxiety and an ability to read other people's thoughts. She was admitted to hospital 4 years ago and was diagnosed with emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD) and mixed anxiety and depression.

She reported anxiety to leave the house due to referential and persecutory ideas, odd beliefs of being able to read people's minds and predict future. She lacked friends and also had fear of abandonment. There was intermittent impulsive self-harm behavior and reportedly harmed herself indirectly through casual sex in the past and also had two failed relationships. She denied illicit drug use. Childhood was uneventful, except that schooling was difficult due to anxiety. She was treated on Quetiapine, Fluoxetine and Promethazine. Further assessments confirmed added features of unusual perceptions, smelling things, superstitious ideas regarding colours and magical thinking. Dissociative episodes of her being a devil, expressing thoughts of slitting her throat were present.

As there was minimal improvement, Aripiprazole was tried. She had poor compliance with Aripiprazole due to the belief that it was poison. She herself requested depot injection, which was started. There has since been mild improvement in her paranoia, but social anxiety is persistent. Psychoeducation about the diagnosis was challenging, after which she accepted referral for psychotherapy.

Results

The initial diagnosis of EUPD was inconsistent with other features like ideas of reference, strange beliefs, magical thinking, abnormal perceptions and social anxiety. On further assessments, a diagnostic clarification of schizotypal disorder was considered. This poses challenge in diagnosis and therapeutic approach due to the overlap of symptoms. Cognitive-perceptual distortions and affective symptoms of EUPD appear to overlap with disorganized and cognitive-perceptual symptoms of schizotypal disorder. Historically, borderline was separated from schizotypal personality disorder from an entity called borderline schizophrenia.

Conclusion

Schizotypal disorder is rarely seen as the primary reason for treatment in a clinical setting and can be misdiagnosed. The presence of co-morbid personality disorder traits can be challenging for the management decisions. It also has an impact on the individual and family for acceptance of the diagnosis and compliance to treatment.