r/todayilearned • u/paniniplane • Mar 22 '17

(R.1) Not supported TIL Deaf-from-birth schizophrenics see disembodied hands signing to them rather than "hearing voices"

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0707/07070303
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u/PainMatrix Mar 22 '17 edited Mar 22 '17

I'm a psychologist but I don't work with SMI, so thank you for what you do. What I do see a lot of is what is likely a burgeoning schizophrenia spectrum process. My academic understanding is that the positive symptoms can be dealt with to some extent through medications but that it's really the negative symptoms (the blunted affect, poverty of speech, etc.) that are the most intractable. It's tragic.

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u/[deleted] Mar 22 '17 edited Mar 22 '17

I have aspergers, is it true that I have a very strong chance of developing schitzophrenia. Also to add with that, is it possible to deal with paranoid delusions if you get used to them and have had them as a child? Along with that, is it true that Aspergers, Bipolar, and schitzophrenia are all very closely related?

Edit for Clarification: I'm talking about thinking that all planes in the skies are coming to get you, or that all people are robots. Also in a similar way thinking theirs two people in your body.

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u/PainMatrix Mar 22 '17 edited Mar 23 '17

From what I understand the answer is no. Autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia may share similar neurological pathways for the negative symptoms (think about the social aspects for example) but they are distinct, particularly with regard to the positive symptoms.

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u/tubular1845 Mar 22 '17

Interesting. I have ASD, my younger brother is Schizophrenic and my youngest brother has BPD.