I have Schizophrenia and Asperger's.

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Hey, it happens. s**t sucks but what can we do? And to all the ret*ds saying you can't have both, shut the f**k up already. You clearly do not understand the DSM-IV.

I'm losing touch of reality. It sucks. I'm like a floating dust of consciousness entrapped in this mere human form. I feel as though I don't exist. That the external world isn't real. I feel as though we are in the matrix.

However, it's getting better. The medications are working though I'm afraid of the brain damage they cause. They say schizophrenia causes brain damage but who knows, right?

I have no hallucinations (thank god).

Thanks.

Your symptoms sound a bit more like derealization disorder than schizophrenia. But what do I know, I'm not a professional.

I know someone that supposedly has both. That is, this person was diagnosed with a type of psychosis after a period of being alone a lot and withdrawn. They may have undiagnosed the autism when they gave him a new diagnosis, which won't help him because I'm pretty sure most of his issues are due to the autism... *sigh* But no one is doing anything to help him anyway. The medications seem to completely get rid of psychosis symptoms that anyone can see, but who knows but him...

Edit: sorry, meant undiagnosed the autism when they diagnosed the psychosis.

Last edited by A_floating_moon on 08 Dec 2012, 1:52 am, edited 1 time in total.

Derealization goes along with the psychosis of schizophrenia.

It is quite possible to have both, as long as Aspergers was diagnosed prior to the development of schizophrenia. So someone with a childhood diagnosis of AS could go on to develop schizophrenia and receive a diagnosis as an adult.

I'm sorry you have been having such a tough time, but I'm glad that your medication is working and that you are feeling better.

I agree that from your meager description it sounds more like dissociation then psychosis.

I developed several psychotic episodes which involved hallucinations, and delusions after an extensive period of horrific parenting.
However I certainly had a PDD, as I showed symptoms from birth. It's much more difficult to figure out Very-early onset Schizophrenia from Autism then typical schizophrenia starting in the 20's. VOES is rare, but often has a PDD as a comorbidity. However if you had negligible symptoms until adulthood you're most likely not autistic.

I'm so sorry you are having such a hard time

I have had periods of derealization, too, and what you said is exactly what I thought- I felt like I was in the Matrix. Like nothing is real.

Anyone who says you can't have both Schizophrenia and Asperger's is wrong. Those are two separate conditions!

Have you considered complementary therapies? Those have brought some relief to my sisters. 1-3 grams per day of good quality, fresh fish oil helped, as well as eating/drinking 50-70 grams of protein that is whey protein. The whey protein especially made a difference. It is in most protein powders and some diet shakes, like Atkins shakes, GNC lean shakes, Trader Joe's whey protein powder. I personally hate the powders, but I'd rather choke them down than go without. The pre-mixed shakes are way more palatable.

I don't know if this would help for derealization caused by schizophrenia, but it does help a lot of people with derealization in general- yoga. It helps connect you back to your body and your environment. I think there are lots of free yoga programs online.

I hope you get to feeling better soon. I know how hard both of those conditions are. Hang in there!

I'm questioning my misdiagnosis similarly. Therapist keeps saying it's Bipolar and Adhd, and I'm like wtf. No. The adhd meds aren't working well I'm on Vyvanse and recently learned from someone more educated on it that it causes organic psychosis. Once again, wtf.

When I go off Abilify, how-ever, after a period of time it becomes what I would imagine from a base label, derealization. It feels like disassociation, but what's the difference? I think all psychosis is caused by traumatic situations. I see it as a major factor. I just don't and never did act anything like schizophrenia, so IDK know now that I'm well where the idiots came from with it. And how it was supposed to help.

The other thing it's like, most of the medications made me worse. Does it even matter.

Actually, the DSM-IV says you can't have both, but there's good research suggesting that they're wrong about that.

And please don't use 'ret*ds' as an insult. It's offensive to people with cognitive disabilities.

Symptoms of schizophrenia and AS intertwine with each other so this could result in derealization and AS rather than AS and schizophrenia (which is much rarer).

I'm an INFJ! More people need to learn about this test.
Do you guess what someone may be and then ask them to take the test?

I have Schizophrenia and Asperger's Syndrome.

I have schizoaffective disorder, and some of my behaviors resemble an autism spectrum condition like Asperger's. I can relate with your derealization. I often feel that things aren't real, or that I'm living in some kind of social experiment and that people in my social environment are in on it. It's conspiracy-theoretic and paranoid.

where it might be taking me. The so called professionals gave me the grand diagnosis of Schizophrenia about thirty years ago. Mine seems to have been more of an episodic type with just a couple major bouts. The strange thing just a couple weeks ago i realized that i have some level of Asperger's that i have been able to negotiate without even knowing what it was. After all these years and being able to look at where i have been i would say that everything sucks and is great and beautiful at the same time.

Like if you give into it or give up, then let others tell you what your life is about then you lose (at least the way i look at it). Get smart, read some more, find out all you can and don't let others tell you who you are without you knowing who you are first.

me too