Schizoid vs "simple" schizophrenia?

Just throwing this out there in case anyone has any thoughts on it. Schizophrenia simplex/simple schizophrenia is a controversial diagnosis (In the US where I am it's not recognized, but is still in Europe) of a form of schizophrenia with no positive (hallucinations, delusions) symptoms, only negative symptoms which naturally overlap quite a bit with Schizoid Personality Disorder: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple-type_schizophrenia

The main thing that stands out for this is the description of an early onset and gradual deteriorization which describes me very well. I was never an engaged social person but I do feel like I was functioning to a much greater degree and have been getting worse very slowly, year after year. When I was 12 or 13 all the adults around me seemed to think I would be the next Bill Gates or something, and even though this seemed to start around that time, I managed to get a full ride college scholarship, but then ended up dropping out as I got worse. Also my mother has pretty severe paranoid schizophrenia. I've seen a psychologist and psychiatrist after being prodded by family continuously about it because my situation has gotten worse and worse, and the diagnosis was Schizoid Personality Disorder with comorbid depression, which hasn't had much response (other than a great couple months on one combination that pooped out, where I felt almost like I did when I was a teenager again) to medication. Unfortunately, even if this is what's really going on I'm pretty screwed as treating negative symptoms is a crapshoot at best from what I've read.

I'm wondering if this is really a legit separate syndrom or just some artifact of medical classification and both SPD and simple schizophrenia basically describe the same mental state. Has anyone else experienced this kind of a steady decline? Do you have a professional diagnosis at all, not that that necessarily will be accurate, but just curious?

Is it legit?
There are so many people, it would be hard to believe some people don't fit the description of simple schizophrenia.

Steady decline?

My social life was small to begin with, but now it's non existent, and I feel indifferent about that. I've been diagnosed with major depression, bipolar 1 (overturned due to misdiagnosis) and mood disorder nos. A psychologist once told me she thought I was agoraphobic, but the reason I didn't leave my house was apathy---felt no reason to.

xykr wrote:I'm wondering if this is really a legit separate syndrom or just some artifact of medical classification and both SPD and simple schizophrenia basically describe the same mental state.

I don't know. Some years ago, I would have wondered that myself as well. Nowadays, it doesn't really matter to me. It's about what you experience, and I think acknowledging the usefulness of the term 'simple schizophrenia' as being an adequate key word in the search for more information about what you're currently experiencing is enough. Things and phenomena need to have a name for the sake of communication. Whether a name is correct, whether the same thing or phenomenon happens to have multiple names, or what things or phenomena are actually included in a name are ever-occurring problems of language.

xykr wrote:Has anyone else experienced this kind of a steady decline? Do you have a professional diagnosis at all, not that that necessarily will be accurate, but just curious?

I've experienced a steady decline in cognitive function which has gotten quite worrisome over the past year or so. Not much, if at all, decline in other areas. My professional diagnosis is schizoid personality disorder with disorganized symptoms classified separately as attention deficit disorder (formally referred to as ADHD-PI (Predominantly Inattentive) in the current edition of the most widely used diagnostic handbook in psychiatry, the DSM-5). My psychiatrist also mentioned a ''possible schizophrenic development'' in the diagnostic report back then, which is explained by the state I was in back then: I came into treatment during a phase in my life in which I experienced more stress than I could handle, resulting in paranoia which was getting increasingly worse, as well as resulting in experiencing hallucinations a couple times. I haven't totally lost sense of reality though, if only because I felt right on time that things started to become worrisome, so I entered treatment before I developed a full psychosis. I think I can say I was bordering on a psychotic breakdown though. Strangely, and I only realize this in hindsight now, I've experienced a steep drop in cognitive function back then of which I'm still not recovered. It is as if my cognition has broken down while my reality testing remained intact. Like I said, I'm still not recovered from that sudden drop in cognitive function. In contrary, since that drop, it has only gotten worse over time, up to now. As a result, I'm currently still having a very low level of functioning, and I'm not able to work.

I think SPD is linked to schizophrenia as well. I have found out that I am bipolar and I have been likely psychotic in the past (as a consequence of a manic episode). I have been delusional and I am dealing with mood swings at the same time. Schizoaffective is actually the state where I have been. I can definitely understand why people "hang on" to their psychosis and schizophrenia. It feels very good and it can make a person very comfortable in the short term.

Comp_Lex wrote:I can definitely understand why people "hang on" to their psychosis and schizophrenia. It feels very good and it can make a person very comfortable in the short term.

Yeah, it can make people feel 'good' if the psychotic state ended a sustained period of emotional numbness. But I think it really depends on the type of psychosis. One may experience some aspects of a manic psychosis as positive, but I think there isn't much about a paranoid psychosis that can be experienced as positive.

ZonedOut wrote:

Comp_Lex wrote:I can definitely understand why people "hang on" to their psychosis and schizophrenia. It feels very good and it can make a person very comfortable in the short term.

Yeah, it can make people feel 'good' if the psychotic state ended a sustained period of emotional numbness. But I think it really depends on the type of psychosis. One may experience some aspects of a manic psychosis as positive, but I think there isn't much about a paranoid psychosis that can be experienced as positive.

Interesting. What do you think are the differences between paranoid psychosis and PPD?

Comp_Lex wrote:Interesting. What do you think are the differences between paranoid psychosis and PPD?

In paranoid psychosis, someone has lost contact with reality and truly believe suspicions to be true, rational, firmly based in reality. On the other hand, if one gets diagnosed with paranoid personality disorder, one is overly prone to suspiciousness while realizing the suspicions cannot be upheld if analyzed rationally. So why do they act upon it anyway? Because it feels that way. ''I just know that guy is after me, as I can feel it.'' One is convinced feeling-wise, but not rationally. A paranoid psychotic is convinced feeling-wise, but also rationally.

Schizoid is finding a room and deciding you're the happiest you'll ever be. "Simple" schizophrenia is where you don't realize people that have outed themselves as optimists themselves are potentially at risk of becoming schizophrenic.

Hi,
i do not get it, so far: The schizoid pd and simple schizophrenia do not exist atm.
(This may change in the future.)
But here and in other forums are many people, who report to have it. I also thought, that i am schizoid, but did find out, that i am negative schizotypal.
I am it, because i cannot trust anyone(suspiciousness).
The negative symptoms of schizophrenia and schizotypal pd are genetically linked.
The core problem of those negative symptoms is avolition.
You are interested in many things, can even make plans.
But the problem is, when you are about to do it, you feel unmotivated.
Linked to that symptom are severe cognitive impairments. People who develop negative
schizophrenia have therefore huge performance problems and are very often without
occupation(~90%).
The idea would be atm, that you are either schizotypal and born with your avolition or
you did develop at least one psychotic episode.
This may all change in the future...