Mental Condition Fron Lack Of Friends

Which mental health conditions or personality disorders are associated with lack of empathy and sympathy?

“Which mental health conditions or personality disorders are associated with lack of empathy and sympathy?”I will start by saying that each individual is unique regardless of their diagnosis. Therefore, there are exceptions within every diagnostic category. Generally speaking, however, many individuals with symptoms of the following diagnoses tend to lack or have a reduced degree of empathy and sympathy:Autism Spectrum Disorder: May be characterized by deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, limited social interaction with others, minimal response to social overtures from others, or a lack of interest in socializing and interacting with others.Schizoid Personality Disorder: Characterized by a lack of interest in relationships with others, a lack of close friends or confidants, emotional coldness, detachment, and indifference to the praise or criticism of others.Schizotypal Personality Disorder: Tends to lack close friends and confidants and is defined as a pervasive pattern of social and interpersonal deficits marked by acute discomfort with, and reduced capacity for, close relationships.”Schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders: When actively psychotic, some individuals are unable or have significant difficulty connecting with others. Negative symptoms may result in a lack of emotional expression or communication with others. There can be a disinterest in the well-being and experience of others.Antisocial Personality Disorder: Defined as a a disregard for and violation of the rights of others and characterized by a reckless disregard for the safety of others and a lack of remorse.Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Specifically defined by the DSM-5 as a “pervasive pattern of … a lack of empathy.” Criteria includes “lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others.”

How can I accept the fact that I have no friends because of my mental illness?

It’s really tough being different and mental illness is for sure being different.I’ve overcome serious abuse and difficulties and here are some things that helped me:Stopped feeling sorry for myself. Lots of people have had this problem and solved it. I determined I would change my loneliness. I asked for help, looked for groups to join and went to one of their meetings. I worked on liking myself so that others could like me too.I used to be shy. Then I realized the reason it was so painful is that I thought people were paying attention to every little thing I did. They weren’t. We all are usually more concerned about ourselves.I looked more at what I had in common with people than what was different with me. I developed interests in things I could share. The simple things are the best - favorite TV show, music, movies, vacations etc.I learned to make small talk. The weather. The news. Their new outfit. How did you meet the host.I learned not to mention my mental/emotional problems unless there was a good reason to. You can get interest in your problems in the beginning, but then people will be uncomfortable around you. I used to feel obliged to tell them then learned it is none of their business and I didn’t have to tell. Everyone has problems; some even worse than mental illness. But it’s usually not something people talk about in public.Support groups of people with similar mental illnesses sometimes are good. You don’t have to explain yourselves to each other. But the group should be focused on some positive things and ways to improve.This book helped me immensely. It’s a classic because it’s so good. Read it and read it again! I read it every few years again. How to Win Friends & Influence People: Dale Carnegie: 8937485909400: Amazon.com: BooksI learned I didn’t have to make a big, gigantic change all at once. Do little things but do them consistently. Make a phone call. Write a list of hobbies to pursue. Look up support groups. Keep at it and sooner than you think, you’ll have done a lot!You can have friends. Believe in it. Take baby steps.May the good forces be with you!

How do I turn my life around despite my lack of friends and support and despite the decline of my mental health?

There’s no one immune to failure, sorrow or loneliness. We all go through times where our negative emotions are overpowering the positive, where we feel like surrendering. However, stop and think. Who are we surrendering to? Who’s winning this race? It’s in fact a rivalry against yourself.Friends come and go, their support is indeed useful, yet if the change of attitude doesn’t come from within its like watering sunflower seeds while its snowing. Without the right conditions or state of mind, you can’t progress and you’ll only reach so far.Start by helping yourself, work on your self esteem, your confidence, do things that make you happy. Wake up in the morning and remind yourself of your purpose, write it down and put it up near your work area. Reaching emotional well being without working on your physical welfare will not work out. Wake up early in the mornings, walk or jog around your neighborhood, it’s also a great way to socialize. Your body is something you have to live in forever, treat it well.Consult a psychiatrist, please do not hesitate to seek help. I know you’ll get to your happy place :)

How much more likely than normal is it that an adult with no friends has some form of mental illness?

In the US, the strong emphasis on “having friends” is related to the strong emphasis on “being a team player”. It’s a bit pathological, as we see if we look at the UK and Commonwealth countries, where being a “loner” does not worry other people, or lead them to suspect that “there must be something wrong” with the un-social person.We can see it play out within the US, too.The upper east coast urban areas have been heavily settled by people from around the Mediterranean rim from Portugal through the Lebanon, and the social culture reflects that. Lots of emotion, friendships easily made and abandoned, confrontation and arguments as a contact sport, etc.Whereas the northern midwest, from Michigan thru the Dakotas, was largely settled by Scandinavians and North Germans, whose social culture expects that people will be polite, low-key, reticent, helpful without having to be asked, conflict-avoiding, and take years to make new friends, if at all.So people from the east coast who move to, say, Minneapolis for work get a horrible culture shock and often leave again in just a few months: they’re “team players” where nobody seems to want them on their “team”. They can’t get a date, nobody will invite them over or accept their invitation, and nobody will tell them why not. So they conclude the locals are cold-hearted and passive-aggressive, and flee back to the east coast.So, to answer your question: whether someone is a loner is not a good predictor of mental state, even in the US.