Autism and Schizophrenia

[Peanut]

I was browsing through the forum and noticed that autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia are in their own sub category together. Every time I come across this grouping I mull it over further wondering why they are grouped together. Is there a link between the two of them that I am not aware of? I have been thinking about it a lot and I can't think of what the association is that would be any closer than some of the other mental disorders that are categorized with other things. This question is just out of curiousity...feel free to ignore it!! I'm just wondering--I thought I'd throw it out there and ask!

 

[HA]

Hello Arose,

My take on it is that both of these disorders would fit into "other disorders" better than the other categories and it is easier to sort through the forum when you do have categories versus one long string of titles. For people that are severely ill with schizophrenia the behaviours can be similar to the autism spectrum disorders.

Both of these disorders are thought to be neurodevelopmental in origin. There is no known cause for either of these disorders.

Dr Baxter also could have grouped them this way....just because.

Personally, I like it this way.

Do you have a personal experience with autism?

Cheers

 

[David Baxter PhD]

One of the reasons is that the type of social impairment in the two has some similarities, at least to my mind. They just seem to fit better together than anywhere else in the forum.

 

[Peanut]

Ok, that makes a lot of sense. I don't personally know too many people with schizophrenia so that is some really interesting information about there sometimes being similar behaviors present as with autism. That social impairment piece also makes sense. I mainly know a lot of kids with autism so I was thinking in terms of them and comparing that to people (usually adults) that I had met with schizophrenia and thinking they were pretty different. But I totally see where the association is now and that information is really useful. Thank you both for elaborating!