The Misanthrope's Mate

This is a story of the rare affliction known as Schizoid Personality Disorder. I have chosen to relate the story in a fictional setting for several reasons, not least of which is to protect the anonymity of the contributors. I also attempted, by coalescing several sufferers of the condition into one main speaker, to streamline their experiences and perspectives for readability. That said, I must be clear: this is not a novel designed purely for entertainment purposes. This is meant to be used as a case study, to add to the very limited psychiatric knowledge related to SPD. It represents hundreds of hours of interviews with four family members. However, in choosing a story format, as opposed to a dry recitation of interviews, I would hope that a layperson with a passing interest in psychology may find the subject more bearable. It is my goal to increase SPD's public profile; for it is the kind of illness that is endured in near-total silence, and as such has gone unnoticed for presumably all of recorded history. While all people afflicted with mental illness suffer to varying degrees, SPD is unique in that it rarely encourages violence, openly disruptive behavior, or suicide (a large part in its going unnoticed); yet, the pain it inflicts on its bearers is a kind of emptiness, aimlessness, and bottomless depression that no one would wish upon their most detested enemy. It is this pain that I wish to bring into the light.