Asperger's Syndrome or Schizophrenia?

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You can have Aspergers Syndrom and then develop Schizophrenia later in life.

You can also have Aspergers Syndrom with symptoms that make you mentally unstable, which in turn can give you delusions and psychosis similar to Schizophrenia, but without the schizophrenia gene.

In the latter case, psychiatrists talk about Aspergers Syndrom turning into Schizophrenia, but infact it has nothing to do with actual schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is caused by a specific gene that is inherited from the patient's parents or grand parents.

Mental instabilitity can cause schizophrenia-like symptoms too. Many people with Aspergers Syndrom are more volnurable to become mentally unstable, thus causing "schizophrenia".

Though it really doesn't matter what cause the Schizophrenia-like symptoms, as the only treatment available is anti-psychotic drug treatment, wether or not the schizophrenia-symptoms are caused by Aspergers-related mental instability or the gene responsible for "real" Schizophrenia.

There is no "schizophrenia gene". There are some single-gene disorders, but schizophrenia is not one of them. There are twin and family studies that suggest a genetic link to schizophrenia, but that does not mean that a single gene has been identified. I am not sure that any genes have been identified at all at this point. It also does not mean that schizophrenia is soley a genetic disorder; monozygotic twin studies suggest environmental triggers which are thought to probably be prenatal.

"Mentally unstable" is not a clinical term, so it is difficult to know what that is supposed to mean.

While it is certainly possible for people to be diagnosed with both autism and schizophrenia, recent studies have not demonstrated a higher prevalence rate of schizophrenia in autistic patients. There was a recent study that demonstrated higher rates of schizophrenia in first degree relatives of people with autism, though, which is interesting.

Yes and it was horrible because it went in my medical records and I could not get health care. I have sleep apnea. I figured it out in Jr. High but was 32 before I could get it diagnosed and treated. Thank God a clinic lost my child hood medical records.

I told an internist that my breathing was stopping on me while I slept. H e made some comment about the cross I had around my neck. I told him that, "yes I am a Christian."

He asked me if I would be willing to see a psychiatrist. I naively and cheerfully said yes because I thought they were good judges of moral character. The shrink asked me what was bothering me, "I said my breathing is stopping on me while I sleep."

He said that was impossible!

I said, "NO it is not. It is called sleep apnea and I have it."

But he had never heard of it despite it being described in a book out to the general public!

He also thought it strange that I believed in God and was writing a book about Heaven. Its a good book. You can read it here. http://www.gigglesfromheaven.org I found out later the internist who referred me to him was an Atheist and he committed suicide. Why? I don't even have enough gas to get into town and its only the 8th of the month. I've been in severe pain much of my life and have the usual Aspergian isolation. But I'm still here. My faith has kept me alive. He was a doctor, had lots of money, no doubt had good social skills, and bumped himself off.


The shrink put me on an antipsychotic called mellaril which I took voluntarily for two years until I found out about tryptophan because it at least knocked me out and gave me the illusion of sleep. I found out later it could have killed me. It can be death for someone with untreated sleep apnea to take a sedative.

Ironically an antidepressant called Surmontil which does not lower REM sleep would have helped me. But because of that and one other traumatic experience where the doctor informed my parents that my allergies were psychosomatic and could not possibly be making sleep apnea worse, I did not go to a psychiatrist again until I was 32 and could go on my own so I didn't risk being committed. Being in a mental hospital would have killed me. They allowed patients to chain smoke back then. I would have been locked up with wall to wall chain smokers with no way to get away from them and all it takes is one whiff of tobacco smoke to stop up my sinuses and make my sleep apnea much worse and I have migraines when I don't get enough sleep! And of course because of my "weirdness" they would not have let me out! When I did go to a shrink, I went knowing I had depression. I continued seeing shrinks for antidepressant medication for decades because it does help, but no one figured out I was was an Aspergian until I was 49 years old and I figured it out for myself.

I'm gonna go out on a "limb" here.....

it sounds to me that you are totally "knowledgeable" about who you are and "what" you are going through...

I don't think you require "quasi-experts" to fill you in.....it sounds to me that you can do that for yourself...

I mean....what it really boils down to is:

we can.........all read psch manuals....till our eyeballs drop out....and some of us may or may not have degrees....but - "so what!"

Eight years ago....I took a dear friend of mine to the hospital because he was complaining of severe pain in his back by the shoulder blades.....

he was on on his knees and crying.....
after waiting hours in the emergency waiting area....

he finally saw a doctor.

The doctor examined him and told him that he had a strained muscle and prescribed pain killers....

and then I drove him home.

He dutifully took the medication....and layed down in bed....

.....meanwhile....
I was frantic....."feeling in my gut" that something was very wrong....

so I called the pharmacy....and spoke to the pharmasist".....trying to get re-assurance....
and they fu**ing re-assured me....
so....
I told my friend I loved him....and said "good-night"...
and the next day...

he was not here anymore.....

look...
you've gotta trust yourself....you're own gut...
screw....the idiots who read books...and get degrees....and think they know all that....

maybe they know a "little"....

but when it comes down to it...

it's your life - not theirs - and they don't give a sh**t!!

trust yourself!! !

we're all a little fu**ing nuts anyway.....just give yourself hugs...love...and trust...

and the "so-called" professionals" can go and take a sh**t in their hats!! !

4five9

I can relate to much of what you said - except I've never had anyone even hint that I'm schizophrenic. Just anxious and depressed. Was particularly interested that you said you became a teacher to force yourself to be more comfortable with socializing. I've often forced myself into situations to try to improve deficits. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

You might want to read up on Alexithymia - or a deficit in emotional understanding. I recently Googled *Alexithymia - Asperger* and found several sites that somewhat explain how they are related. Alexithymia has has a lot of overlap with Asperger's, and having difficulty understanding your own or others' emotions is very difficult. The underlying uncertainty can lead to anxiety and depression. In me it has led to clinical social anxiety disorder.

Because you are intellectually gifted, a good book to read is "Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults: ADHD, Bipolar, OCD, Asperger's Depression, and Other Disorders." At some points to book seems to doublespeak that intellectual giftedness is not Asperger's or Pervasive Developmental Disorder when, in practical terms, they have much the same appearance, but it is a really good book to begin to understand how giftedness and developmental disorders often go hand-in-hand.

Z