Autism with hallucinations/delusions?

Post Reply New Topic

It's not about me but I just need some facts. Is it possible for some with autism to suffer from hallucinations/delusions without being diagnosed with Schizophrenia? I want the character in my story to have Autism, like I do. But in the story she has hallucinations and delusions of all the characters from Alice in Wonderland. Her hallucinaions are seeing the characters as if they were in the flesh and her delusions are that of the red queen make her do certain rituals or routines to please her so she doesn't get killed her, 'beheaded'.

I might add some sort of line about her having schizophrenia tendencies though... I'm not really sure. So I thought I'd ask what everyone else thought about this.

I think it's possible this might do well...people with Autism can have imaginary friends and be inventive. Although I'd imagine the hallucinations wouldn't be threatening, but more of a preoccupation.

Well, it would be a proccupation. I mean I have them myself. I have two invisible friends who are like my best friends. Sometimes I find it hard to tell myself they aren't real friends because I'm so attached to them.

The idea actually came to me when I watched Pheobe in Wonderland which by the way is a GREAT movie. I liked it because it did seem like she had a few traits of autism as well as tourette's syndrome, schizophrenia and OCD. So it was a great mix that came together really well.

But anyway, I just want it to be just that... yet still cause her a lot of problems, maybe with how she develops. It might even have to do with trauma and not being excepted with everyone else because she's different... at a young age or something. Like, psychological.

I guess there could be a little of borderline Schizophrenia since she does show traits of it.

I guess that could be true of some people with autism, however, I have invisible friends too, but I don't actually "see" or "hear" them, I have conversations with them, but in my head. I make up what the friend says and what I say. I don't find I ever have trouble not knowing they are real. The are actually imaginary versions of real people, but still, I know the difference between the imaginary and real versions. For example, one of my imaginary friends' name is Sean. I have told imaginary Sean that I am fond of my English teacher this year, but I realize that real Sean doesn't actually know that so if he came to my English class and asked if I like the teacher or not, I would realize that he doesn't know, even though I have told imaginary Sean.

Another example is when this: I have most of them on social networks, sometimes, I will plan to hang out with the imaginary version and I will be at the movies with them or something and I will see a post saying "Just got back from the park with the kids" posted 18 minutes ago by the real version of the one I am hanging out with when I check my Twitter on my phone after the movie. I realize that is actually possible.

That's my experience with imaginary friends.

I don't think true (the person actually sees or hears the friend and doesn't realize they aren't actually there) hallucinations are typical of autism though.

That actually how mine are. I don't see or hear them but like... pretty much what you explained. I think it's just that I've pretty much grown up with having them that it helps me feel well... not so lonely. But that's not really about my story. XD

I wanted her to kind of be mixed in different catergories. Maybe a few times she is seen with schizophrenia traits and the next with aspie traits or ADHD traits... etc. She also could have slight tourette's because she blurts things out without realizing she's said them. But that could be more ADHD related.

You could write-in an encounter (intentional or accidental) with hallucinogenic drugs, I guess. Or you could just have her be really pre-occupied with the book and characters, so like, a million things remind her of them and she'll zone out and start thinking about them. I also liked the idea of a schizophrenic character though, if you know enough about them to do one justice.

You could also explain the hallucinations through her having a weird side effect to prescription drugs she's taking or as the early warning signs of some horrific, plot twist, injury or medical ordeal I guess . . . like, carbon monoxide leaking into her apartment, a bad, recurring reaction to mold in her basement or something . . .

Do you mean hallucinations/delusions or do you mean day dream/fantasize? There is a difference. In the former, that would indicate either drug use, fever, or some form of schizoid disorder. I think what you really mean is the latter--day dream/ fantasize. Many of us on the spectrum have very active day dream/fantasy lives, so in that context it would work. I myself have always had a busy day dream life, with a number of ongoing "stories." Some have fallen by the wayside and others have replaced them. Some have been ongoing for years. The difference between hallucination/delusion and day dream/ fantasy, is that people believe the delusion while going through it, but day dreams are just a mental hobby of creating stories for our own entertainment, and we don't actually believe in them--we know they are not real.

Hope this helps.

Well, she is going to have borderline schizophrenia but also have asperger syndrome because of her anti-social and eccentric behaviors related to mild autism. She does stim a lot which is what keeps her from putting herself in danger.

Many psychoactive pharmaceuticals, such as tricyclic antidepressants, can cause hallucinations as a side effect. It is not uncommon for autistic people to take antidepressants or anxiolytics (anti-anxiety drugs). When these drugs are discontinued after a longer period of use, hallucinations may also occur as a withdrawal symptom.

I don't think that autistics hallucinate and have delusions without an additional psychotic disorder. For example I have schizoaffective disorder bipolar type because I have the symptoms. It can't be part of the autism itself because according to the DSM IV, it says that the additional diagnosis of schizophrenia is made only if delusions and hallucinations are also present. It is because the negative symptoms look like autism. So, if you have autism and have negative symptoms, you don't automatically have schizophrenia. You would also have to have delusions and hallucinations or disorganized speech.

What about having like... psychosis or something? I mean I was going to go with her having Asperger Syndrome and borderline Schizophrenia. But would that really work? Right now you can tell she has schizophrenic symptoms.

Schizophrenia is a type of psychotic disorder. Yes, she can have Asperger's Syndrome/ Autism and schizophrenia. I have a friend that also has Asperger's and schizoaffective disorder besides myself. So, it does happen. And on other boards I go to others have that combination as well.

Well, I kind of just want her to have the Hallucinations and delusions. I'm not even sure how disorganized speech is or other behaviors of Schizophrenia. D:

Edit: This is what the plot I have so far is for the story. I need more ideas because I want it to be more adventurous in some way but my mind keeps drawing blanks. Damn my Autism and ADHD... ughhhh.

Mina is not like other girls. She has no idea what her past is. Her memory feels lost in all the daydreams, hallucinations and delusions of a wonderland that doesn't exist. Bullied and abused her whole life by schools and foster parents from her past life she does remember. Mina has no idea what her life is. Nothing from her past exists but the hallucinations and delusions she has. Could she be Alice's reincarnation? Is there a connection to what she sees that no one else believes exists? How much will she suffer before things start to look up? Will she ever be able to discover her true past?

IDK, personally I wouldn't hesitate to write it. I'd give you a link to my stories so you might get an understanding of my char, but the age rating is too high to go on these forums. Point is - I write a delusional character I consider more Aspie, and it has never stopped me. I myself have the dx of schizophrenia, but without displaying the hallucinations and delusions, so I'm not writing it from personal experience... But it still comforts me to write about hallucinations and delusions, considering how much I've seen them being ostracised.

Yeah see, my character is more aspie because she has the lack of social interaction/anti-socialness down along with her rituals and routines she does. The actual reason she has the hallucinations/delusions is because she is a reincarnation of Alice who has no idea what her true past is. That sort of thing. I mean who would? She has a lot of aspie traits and gets made fun of for her oddness and the way she dresses too.

Mind you, a person with social difficulties can be suspected with Schizophrenia instead of Autism by a psychiatrist - and though research on Schizophrenia states social isolation as a common trait between Schizophrenics, I could say mine is fairly mild. Whichever label the person has can also depend on what type of specialist they meet - I think that psychiatrists who are not Autism professionals might have a bias towards diagnoses other than AS - depending, among other things, on how stereotypical the behaviour is.

Last edited by Bun on 14 Apr 2012, 2:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.