About Schizophrenia
- Introduction to Schizophrenia
- Diagnosing Schizophrenia
- Schizophrenia Prognosis
- Effects and Complications
- Can Schizophrenia be Prevented?
- Schizophrenia Risk Factors
- What Causes Schizophrenia?
- History of Schizophrenia
- Childhood Schizophrenia
- Schizophrenia Statistics
Schizophrenia Treatment
Drugs for Schizophrenia Treatment
- Conventional Antipsychotics
- Atypical Antipsychotics
- Supplements
Schizophrenia Types
- Residual Schizophrenia
- Hebephrenic Schizophrenia
- Disorganized Schizophrenia
- Paranoid Schizophrenia
- Undifferentiated Schizophrenia
- Catatonic Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia Symptoms
- Managing Symptoms
- Hearing Voices
- Schizophrenia Delusions
- Schizophrenia and Suicide
- Movement Disorders
Related Conditions
- Split Personality
- Anxiety and Schizophrenia
- Depression and Schizophrenia
- Bipolar Disorder
- Brief Psychotic Disorder
- Shared Psychotic Disorder
- Schizotypal Personality Disorder
- Schizophreniform Disorder
- Schizoid Personality
- Delusional Disorder
- Substance Abuse
- Schizoaffective Disorder
- Schizophrenia and Self Injury
Living With Schizophrenia
- Family Relationships
- Schizophrenia and Homelessness
- Schizophrenia and The Workplace
- Schizophrenia and Violence
- Schizophrenia and Hallucinations
I am trying to find the differences between schizophrenia and autism. I would like to know what the actual symptoms are if there are any at all. The reason that I am asking is that my cousin has been diagnosed as autistic but he has also lately been showing strange behaviors and when I was looking through this site I was trying to see if there was any sort of connection. Thanks
Carl
Carl,
Schizophrenia and autism are entirely different disorders, although both are believed to involve abnormalities in the brain.
Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder, which essentially means there is a "break" with reality, which is primarily exhibited via hallucinations (e.g., hearing voices or seeing things which aren't really there) or delusions (firmly held beliefs which aren't based in reality, and are often bizarre in nature).
Individuals with autism typically do exhibit behaviors which are abnormal or strange. Some behaviors which are often seen in autistic individuals are abnormal interactions with people, difficulties in communication or under-developed language skills, lack of spontaneity, and an inability to reciprocate emotionally. Autistic individuals may be intensely preoccupied with certain things and have rigid routines or rituals in which they engage. They may also exhibit odd, repetitive physical behaviors such as hand-flapping.
Individuals with catatonic schizophrenia (which is very rare) may also exhibit repetitive physical movements like hand-flapping. Like individuals with autism, many people with schizophrenia become withdrawn socially, have restricted emotional expression and some language disturbances.
It is possible for someone with autism to also develop schizophrenia, although quite rare. They would need to meet the criteria for both disorders in order to warrant a diagnosis of both.
Dr. Cheryl Lane
For treatment, it might be best to understand similarities between schizophrenic and autistic types.
General reading difficulties can be linked between the two mental disorders, exhibited in those with dyslexic traits.
In turn, burden of comprehension and processing of information are conclusive in all three illnesses.
Socially, those who suffer from schizophrenia and autism are differently viewed in terms of stigma and eccentricity.
In the movie, A Beautiful Mind, you will see John Nash's character stare off into distance. This is very indicative to the gaze of autists.