Putting this in lounge since it’s not just meant for sz’s.
I’ve heard that there are some genetic similarities between the genetic make up of sz’s and the genetic make up of autism spectrum. I can’t remember the details, though, anybody know a good resource? Here’s what I found through google: http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/autism/autism-and-schizophrenia
They both are developmentally based disabilities, meaning that autism crops up when they’re just maturing into the age of like 3, schizophrenia when they’re entering adolescence at like 13. People with autism have difficulty socially, as do sz’s, but only due to negative symptoms, it’s not like the ultimate defining feature as with those on the spectrum.
I took a job (start next week hopefully) working with those who have a diagnosis on the autism spectrum. I am eager to learn about autism, as I want to be a good and informed employee.
I also wanted to ask what you all know about autism? Anybody have someone in their family with autism? What would you want someone like me to know?
rs1858830 CC 2xrisk of autism
rs4307059 TT 1.42x risk of autism
rs6807362 CC increased risk of autism
rs1143674 AG 1.3x risk of autism
rs3923890 AA lower social interaction.Increased risk of autism.
rs167771 possibly more insistence on sameness
rs 7794745 AA normal risk of autism
rs2351299 GG normal risk of autism
rs10513025 TT normal risk of autism
rs 3819331 TT lowered risk of autism
rs7925879 AA Increased risk?
rs3802905 CC Increased risk?
rs6590109 GG Increased risk?
rs1801133 GG lowered risk?
rs6716901 GG lowered risk?
rs2237717 TT reduced ability to recognise faces
rs53576 AA reduced empathy?
SZ snps
rs27388 AA - increased risk
rs17001266(-;C) - 1.58 x increase in males
rs464049(C;C)-decreased risk
rs4331145(A;G)-decreased risk
rs2272127(C;C)- associated with herpes and schizophrenia
rs2007153(G;G)- increased risk
rs1344706(T;T)- 1.2x increased risk
rs11246226(A;C)-decreased risk
rs2283123(C;C)- normal risk
rs11868035(A;G)-increased risk
rs6994992(T;T)-T allele schizophrenia risk allele
rs6932590(T;T)-1.1 x increased risk
rs1522305(G;G)- slightly increased risk
rs2494732(T;T)- lower odds of psychosis
rs6277(C;T)-1.4x higher risk
rs3746544(C;C)- associated with schizophrenia
rs4894(A;C)- 1.78x increased risk in males
Sorry, I meant the symptoms appear at a certain age. It’s like you are born with a genetic make-up that may put you at high risk…so you are born with the genetic triggers.
It’s just the progression of the disability that makes people see the autism/sz at a specific age. Language development in toddlers for autism and social withdrawal/etc in adolescence for sz.
SCZ tend to over-attribute intentions to agents and physical events (“hyper-intentionality”), patients with autism treat people as devoid of intentions (“hypo-intentionality”).
Wow! It never occurred to me.
What I did notice was that people on the spectrum avoid eye contact, whereas sz’s, especially active psychotic ones, will just stare into your eyes without blinking! I noticed I did this so I learned to consciously blink my eyes and periodically look away, even if I was having fun watching their irises contract.
Thank you for the great resources @firemonkey! I will be reading through the wrong planet’s website this weekend more! (I am browsing through it right now).
I would assume, like the link you originally posted, that there can be some confusion if you must diagnose a child or “minor” with autism or schizophrenia.
I must say, though, when you are an adult, they appear to be able to differentiate rather quickly and definitively. I once thought I had Asperger Syndrome (high-functioning Autism). However, it would appear mental health professionals look for specific signs if they try to diagnose you and can do so within the first 10 minutes of a regular face-to-face interview. Well, maybe for some mental health professionals (at least if they’re not looking for it during an appointment) they may not be looking to differentiate between Autism and SZ. Sometimes, it might take I guess what you would call a “psychotic break” to suddenly signal to the diagnosing doctor to start looking for signs of severe mental disorder.
The DSM IV (I guess they’re at DSM V now) is just a guide. How they actually diagnose adults. Can actually help you understand concrete differences between Autism and SZ. Adults with Autism are not “reflective.” They don’t respond to external sources of input (like when trying to verbally get your attention). From what little I saw being the patient of a few appointments in the past here and there, those are apparently 2 key signs they look for before they diagnose with Autism or differentiate between SZ. However, as soon as a schizophrenic may “disconnect”. This is a sign they look for when diagnosing SZ. At least that’s what tipped them off in my case, leading to SZ diagnosis. I don’t even realize I’m doing it at the time. Sometimes, people with certain mental disorders don’t realize they have or are sort of “mind blind” to what they have.
I’m sure there are other signs diagnosticians look for but just thought I’d share my limited experience from what I could tell being a patient in certain appointments. I don’t know if a person can have Autism and SZ, but regardless they have ways to differentiate between the two major diagnostic constructs. Someone brought up on this thread the lack of eye contact. That is also something they look for. Can’t remember what the DSM stated but patients with SZ have more of a tendency to “blank stare.” Can lead to lack of eye contact. Patients with Autism lack eye contact or “eye-to-eye gaze”.
Negative symptoms present similarly to some of the social dysfunction seen in autism. Positive symptoms can often put someone “in their own little world” much like an autistic person. So the two afflictions are similar in some ways.
Yeah, but I’m telling you. They can differentiate between Autism and SZ when diagnosing adults. And do so rather quickly and with no doubt if you have either/or. How they diagnose is not common knowledge and you may not even find in research articles.
True. However, they can tell if you have or don’t have Autism or SZ, even without knowing your background or if you’ve been diagnosed before. They look for certain signals and can tell you even if they just met you. How do I know? I’ve seen it. At least afterward I realize what happened, sort of.
The aid at the hospital when I was first committed asked me how old I was and I told him 19. He said I probably have schizophrenia because that’s when it starts. In the ward to psychiatrist just glanced at me and said I have schizoaffective bipolar type and prescribed some arbitrary dose of medication which didn’t contain my psychosis at all. I felt like someone had put my brain in a frying pan and burned away crucial parts of it, then I was expected to pick myself up and start again. That’s why it pisses me off so much when people on here talk about how rosy and pretty and happy they were when they were pyschotic, I felt like I was essentially being raped by an invisible assailant at all times, it was the antithesis of fun. Back to the topic, I think the doctors can tell what illness you have most of the time, some of the time they don’t have the time or interest to do so. I have diagnosed myself with paranoid schizophrenia based on my experiences with the illness as well as my family history (filled with schizophrenia).
Maybe I should clarify, sz and autism are not the same, but they do have similar genetic abnormalities in relation to social cognition.
I just wanted to discuss the similarities across the two. I think the Pix is both sz and on the spectrum, too bad he went on self-imposed exile until next year!
Also, I think the defining feature of sz is positive symptoms like voices, visual hallucinations, whereas those on the spectrum have social abnormality as a defining feature and they don’t get positive symptoms.
I do know that doctors send kids who are diagnosed as autistic to specialists who run “tests” on them to see if they are autistic. I saw one video where a woman kept saying the kid’s name and trying to get his attention but he was lost in his toy and was oblivious to her. I assume that a team of diagnosticians is better than a one ten-minutes session with a lone pdoc, but then again, I’m not autistic and never had to experience the difference between being diagnosed autistic versus sz.
Thanks everyone for the great replies! I am eager to start work.
Yeah, it typically SZ doesn’t come into effect until 18 - 25 age range. I was born with SZ but didn’t become a problem or needed to be diagnosed/treated until I had to take on adult responsibilities like working or (gasp) interviewing for jobs. I think when a person generally is a kid or minor, SZ can get hidden because when you’re a kid, you’re just a kid.
