In which personality disorder might a patient present as socially withdrawn and have little desire for social interactions?

In a case where a patient is socially withdrawn and exhibits minimal desire for social interactions, the characteristics align with Schizoid Personality Disorder. Individuals with this disorder often display emotional coldness and detachment from social relationships. They typically prefer solitude and may seem indifferent to praise or criticism from others. This preference for isolation often leads them to have very few, if any, close relationships outside of immediate family.

Social withdrawal and a lack of interest in forming connections can occur for various reasons in different personality disorders, but in Schizoid Personality Disorder, these traits are defining features. The emphasis is on an enduring pattern of detachment and a restricted range of emotional expression in interpersonal settings, which significantly differentiates it from other disorders like Histrionic, Narcissistic, and Paranoid Personality Disorders, where social interactions may be characterized by other behaviors such as seeking attention, having grandiose self-views, or exhibiting distrust, respectively.