Aspergers/schizophrenia?

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Could anyone tell me what the general symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia?
I think my little sister has it, but i'm not sure.
& some somewhat serious issues have come up lately concerning her making distressing accusations which i highly doubt are true, but could have legal ramifications and potentially ruin people's lives.
She's about 9 & just started her period, if that's in any way relevant.

Last edited by Seanmw on 09 Jun 2010, 12:29 am, edited 1 time in total.

That sounds like a situation that really requires some good professional advice. This is way over the heads of a bunch of internet commandos like us.

None of that sounds like aspergers to me, and I think the onset of schizophrenia is usually a little later... like 25.

Maybe she has OCD or some kind of anxiety disorder?

The final criterion for a diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome is:

It's a logical impossibility for her to have both. Plus, she doesn't sound psychotic. (To a layman who's never met her, that is.)

actually i read that schizophrenia can develop much earlier, but that it's just rarer that it does.

& i haven't even begun to describe her AS-like traits.
i'm not trying to give a full description, because honestly i'm horrible at describing any kind of big picture or explaining these types of things.

i was more like asking what kind of things are typical in people who have both.
because i'm assuming some people here might have both and might be able to tell from personal experience. Or possibly even there's just someone here who knows someone like that, and might know anything useful. general symptoms, what to look for, etc.
anything really

No one here has both. No one anywhere has both. The diagnostic criteria specifically exclude anyone from a diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome if the criteria are met for Schizophrenia.

The reason is that the symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome are largely present in Schizophrenia anyway. Why don't you ask this question on a site for people with Schizophrenia?

She's 9. Get her a school screening, it's free. And get the schizophrenia ideas out of your head, that is very unlikely.

EDIT: Also going to add she's probably just attention-seeking.

hmmm, possibly just schizophrenia then? do they have overlapping symptoms?

& she doesn't sound like anything because i haven't really given any kind of description for starters. really just mentioned one thing of many so far that's cropped up.
here's some more:
she's reported hearing and seeing things that aren't there.
she's always been moody, extremely sensitive. Usually really quiet, but prone to outbursts. Seems kind of violent at times. Has virtually no friends. Quirky, odd behavior. Obsessive interests (rocks & mineral types, gum, etc.).

okay, my mistake.
so then i guess what i'm looking for is information about schizophrenia then.

i just edited my original post to reflect that.

It's a logical impossibility by definition of Asperger's in the DSM-IV, however there is no scientific basis for it, as little, if anything is known about the neurological manifestations of AS, and little is known about the neurological manifestations of schizophrenia.

There is no scientific reason why they must be exclusive.

That sounds more like bipolar disorder with psychotic features, which can occur alongside AS. Once again, you really need professional advice on this.

I have to accept what Chronos says.

Obsessive interests sound Aspie; violence could be indicative of high testosterone, very common in people on the spectrum. (Incidentally, that would also cause something called "precocious puberty," which means maturing a little early. Nine is on the young side to start menstruating.) Anxiety is also oddly common, which could explain the delusions of persecution.

And remember, this is a nine-year-old, so she's not very mature yet. And if she's already having the hormonal changes of puberty with the cognitive maturity of a nine-year-old, of course she's going to be on a roller-coaster. It'll smooth out in a few years.

bipolar can have psychotic features like auditory & visual hallucinations??

hmmm, that makes sense.
Thanks.

Absolutely- especially during episodes.

Ahhh, i see.
Thanks, this has been very insightful