Those with schizotypal personality disorder tend to feel uncomfortable and have a difficult time in social circumstances, although they may still be friendly towards others. In the film Taxi Driver, Robert De Niro's character Travis Bickle seems to be suffering from this disorder.

Travis Bickle, the protagonist of the 1976 film Taxi Driver, is widely analyzed by psychologists as suffering from a combination of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Schizoid Personality Disorder, potentially exacerbated by chronic insomnia. As a Vietnam War veteran, he displays classic "hyper-vigilance" and a deep sense of alienation from a society he perceives as "filthy" and corrupt. His journals reveal a declining state of mental health characterized by grandiose delusions (the belief that he is a "savior" destined to "wash the scum off the streets") and a total lack of meaningful social connections. Some modern clinicians also point toward Dissociative Identity Disorder traits, as he creates a rigid, militant alter-ego to cope with his crushing loneliness. His obsessive behavior toward Cybill Shepherd's character and his later violent "crusade" to save Jodie Foster's character show a complete break from reality. Rather than a single diagnosis, Travis Bickle represents a "perfect storm" of untreated war trauma, urban isolation, and a burgeoning psychotic break, making him one of the most studied characters in cinematic psychology.