Mom of 19 year old Aspie new to WrongPlanet

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My friend hasn't been diagnosed as an aspie but He certainly displays enough traits and schizophrenia is one of the comorbid conditions. There are a lot of aspies out there who have both aspergers and schizophrenia.

At this stage, I dont think a diagnosis would help him. He's got enough to cope with .

Welcome to Wrong Planet!

Sorry to hear your son's in the hospital, hopefully he getts the treatment he needs to recover. Comorbid conditions can complicate things alot especially the more severe ones. I'm lucky to have a comorbidity with OCD which is easier to control. Depending on the type of schizophrenia, they have some pretty effective treatments some just take a bit to start working.

I thought it was Tux, the Linux mascot.

The source of my avatar and at least one of my special interests should go without saying.

Thanks, OutlawSteph! I totally agree with you and am hoping my son gets to the point he feels comfortable enough to take a class or two to get started at the local community college in our area. He had a one-on-one assistant in middle school and high school which helped him graduate. Since he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia just over a week ago, doors have begun to open. There is more funding for programs to help people with mental illnesses than there are for people with developmental disorders (though I don't really think of Asperger's as a disorder) and since he is dually-diagnosed, we have found two great programs in our county, one only two miles from our home! It is a club model for teaching lifeskills, job skills, and will support members through getting into college, as well. My son feels great now that he has the right medicine for his current circumstances and we have confidence that things are moving ahead in a very positive manner for him!

You are right that it is easier to make friends in college than in high school. I think people are more mature and secure in themselves in many ways by that age and they are more open to accepting people for who they are and appreciating those "out of the box" thinking people.

I was aware that Schizophrenia and Asperger's often go hand in hand and suspected that my son may be developing a dual condition for some time. I understand that the medical profession is reluctant to diagnoze sch., especially in people younger than 21. It has been quite a positive thing for my son that he now has that diagnosis for it has opened up more doors for him as far as programs to help support him move toward more independence including job skills and possibly some college.

In your friend's case, I think (though I don't know all the facts), that you are right about the Aspie diagnosis not adding additional help, as there seem to be more programs and help for mental illnesses than there are for developmental disorders at this time. I'm glad he has at least one person who cares about him as you do. My son's doctor cautioned us that 10% of people diagnosed with schizophrenia commit suicide within 10 years of their diagnosis. Though my son has paranoid schizophrenia which is probably the type of schizophrenia that the general public are most "afraid" of, we were told that it actually is the type of schizophrenia that has the best prognosis. Interesting, to say the least. I had one aunt and one distant cousin with it and it has been interesting to see their ups and downs during the years. At least I do have some experience in dealing with it from a family member perspective.

We visited a program only 2 miles from our home this week which gave us great encouragement. It is a club model program to help people with mental illnesses (or dual diagnosis) to rebuild their lives, life skills, job skills, college, etc. This gave us a lot of hope.

I truly appreciate your insight.

Thank you very much! Glad to be here!

heh...I'm not close to Raleigh...I'm in it...

Yeah, thought you were a Linux expert when I saw the logo...

Welcome to WP. I'm probably somewhere else in the spectrum (infrared or ultraviolet..., but we have all sorts in here, so there's a place for everyone.

Linux expert I am not, though I do love learning about technology, more from piddling around with computers or from my students than from the classes I've taken.

In Raleigh, eh? Cool. We enjoy living in this area.