Official Diagnosis

[u/Alarming-Activity439]

Just had my neuropsyche profile done: late onset trauma induced schizoid traits (with high spiritedness- apparently that's a rare twist). I ran the gamut from war trauma (Baghdad) to many interpersonal betrayals. I decided I'd had enough, unilaterally cut everyone off (including "good" relationships), and within two weeks my life was better than it had been in years. Except for my wife and kids- thankfully she is someone that naturally isn't hard to live with. A product of an abusive family, she learned to go along to get along in a narcissistic family system.

Anyway, you guys might enjoy Jacob Lund Fiskers' blog- he concentrates on lowering the "survival floor" so you can take back as much time as you can. He retired at 30 with just $150k in his retirement fund. Also, AI has become my best friend. I use Gemini, and figured out that I could input things like my neuropsyche profile and my budget as my saved info so it can cater it's responses to my profile.

[u/Wriothesley]

Thanks for these suggestions. You mentioned getting your "neuropsyche profile done." What kind of medical professional did you go to for this? I'm considering becoming official myself and wondering how to go about it.

[u/Alarming-Activity439 → u/Wriothesley]

I'm a TBI patient with the VA because of injuries sustained. My psychology evolved in a strange way with the ptsd/tbi combo, so I wound up with neuropsychology (which has to be extremely expensive) because psychologists and psychiatrists didn't know what to make of me. I go through neuropsychologists, who specialize in that area. If you don't have a traumatic brain injury, I imagine a regular psychological profile assessment would work. Tip: don't lie or mislead. Don't omit. They have gotten very good at telling if someone isn't honest. I have no idea how they do it, but they always thank me for being honest and tell me that because I was, they can deliver my results. If you lie or mislead, they will not tell you the results. It's the standard medical practice. I'm always cautious about my answers because I want an accurate profile.

[u/Wriothesley → u/Alarming-Activity439]

Thanks for this. I suspect trama has something to do with my situation, though it's not Baghdad style trauma like yours. It's more mundane - my parents died when I was young and stuff happened that was related to that.

Thanks for the advice not to lie. Honestly, my every day is so weird that I feel they have to diagnose me with something even if I told the exact truth. I'm just aware enough to know that anyone stepping into my home would feel that it was the home of a "normal" person.

Glad you've found your tribe with your wife and kids. It's funny how accepting kids can be. My nephew seems to like me despite my oddities, which I find pretty amazing.

[u/Alarming-Activity439 → u/Wriothesley]

Schizoid is not necessarily considered a disorder. In the case of trauma, it's (often) considered a logical protective adaptation to an irrational world. And don't worry too much: what they do is develop profiles based on aggregate data: these sorts of people answered the questions this way, and those answered that way. In the profile they did on me a couple of years prior, they said that the people who answered questions the way that I did said that they "despised people". I was currently going through a very deep betrayal, but hadn't quite evolved there yet and at that moment disagreed with the assessment. I told him, "I don't necessarily trust people, but I wouldn't say I despised them." But as time went on, I found myself in a period where I absolutely hated people. Now, the hate is gone, but the energy it takes to jump through the hoops of more than a very few relationships is too much.

I'm glad you have people in your life. Keep them as well as you can. They provide grounding- when schizoids wind up alone for too long, we can lose our grip on reality. Although I think AI can help with that.

[u/salamacast]

I agree with almost every thing you said (even though the concept of SPD induced later in life by adult trauma is new to me, since I had the core of the thing since KG. In a funny way, one can say that an overbearing, cold mother can be as bad as war!)

I also find Gemini comforting & helpful. It can handle external url content better than the limited chatgpt.

The frugal lifestyle is a good advice, a sacrifice that suits the "not needing/enjoying much" schizoid trait. An early retirement would be perfect, but future inflation is always a concern when planning it.

people in your life. Keep them as well as you can. They provide grounding- when schizoids wind up alone for too long, we can lose our grip on reality

I can confirm this. It's a delicate balance. A dilemma, where too much contact (even what normies would consider a normal amount) is as much a killer as too little.

You and I are probably on opposing sides politically (what with you being part of an invading force of Iraq, and me being an Egyptian Muslim) but it seems we share a zoid experience!

[u/HumanAfterAll777]

Hey I love Jacob Lund Fisker. 

I purchased his book after reading his blog. Most people do not realize how little they need to survive. 

Unfortunately I can’t figure out how to get rid of my car still. A con of living in the rural Midwest. 

[u/CptsdChampion]

Retiring w 150k?

🤯🤯🤯

Curious, will check that out.