Autism/AS vs Schizophrenia

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I cannot tell the difference between the social symptoms of schizophrenia and asperger's. Does anyone have any clear examples or insight?

Both run in my family. I have received a schizophrenia diagnosis due to occasional hallucinations but I also realize I have all of the signs of asperger's (which of course, is no problem). Different people have asked me if I have asperger's in the past and my response is always that I do not know.

The problem is that my counselor does not understand my certain traits and struggles. When I ask her if my social issues or even memory and functioning issues are because of my schizophrenia she says "I don't know," meanwhile she specializes in schizophrenia!! I've been with her for months.

I need to know if I have schizophrenia, aspergers a learning difficulty or some combination in order to work on my happiness and my life. Ultimately, I am who I am regardless of labels but I like to use concrete information to my advangage in my self development.

By the way, I have been diagnosed with sensory processing disorder as a child and still agree with that diagnosis very much so.

Basically, schizophrenia and autism have many overlaps and even a genetic link. But not knowing if I have asperger's or not is getting in the way of my schizophrenia treatment.

I was first given the diagnosis of schizo-affective, ideas of reference, and ASD.

So, it's not an either/or question.

You can have an ASD, and have delusional thoughts.

The doctor asked me questions, like, "Do you hear voices"? "Do you think people are secretly talking about you"?

You should consult a real doctor, however, schizo appears to be based in "delusional thinking" (there are many types), while ASD is based on sensory sensitivities, and communication difficulties.

Last edited by LoveNotHate on 03 May 2017, 2:20 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Thank you for the input. I've ALWAYS had delusions, visual hallucinations, difficulties with communication and relating to others and sensory issues for as far back as I can remember.

Do you still feel you have both asperger's and schizoaffective?

Good question.

Later on, an ASD specialist told me, "You just have Asperger Disorder". You don't need the Risperdal meds.

That shows you how "bad" ASD people can appear to psychologists without ASD training.

I read before that we commonly get labeled "schizoaffective".

I have also been labeled with schizoaffective but since paying closer attention to my feelings and behavior I just don't seem to have a mood disorder anymore. I think a lot of that was situational depression, me talking up a storm about different topics, feeling irritated by things around me and having angry temper tantrums.

That's so true. I was also told to have schizophrenia before asperger's and if the doctors can't 'solve' you, they really just tend to name you schizo-something and are not much able to answer your further questions.

The new speech therapist in my school thought I had schizophrenia when I was 12 because my mom had told her that she was concerned about me because I had told her over the summer I was hearing too many voices and she took that as me hallucinating and then she was telling the other school staff to keep an eye out for more signs and she thought I had tangential thinking because I was visual so anything that got stuck in my head I would ask questions until that picture matched the other pictures in my head before I could move on and she took that as another sign.

I think the misunderstandings like hearing voices thing or people secretly talking about you can make it look like schizophrenia when in fact the person is literal and the fact the patient has heard others talking behind their backs or been told by other people someone was saying bad things about them and how much it makes them angry to hear people talk bad of them behind their back.

AS and Schizophrenia have little in common.

But the same person can have both, and one can blend into the other I suppose.

Have met folks diagnosed with Aspergers who wouldnt been confused with schizophrenics.

But did know one high functioning schizophrenic young lady who had a lot of aspergian traits.

I was told I had schizoid then schizoaffective by doctors who didnt understand autism before being told I have autism and not a schizophrenic disorder.