Schizotypal PD / Aspergers

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I am no expert but I think it is far more serious as sufferers often need to be hospitalised due to hallucinations/ psychosis and so on.

With aspergers, we may get obsessed and lose track of time but I believe that we usually remain within the realms of everyday reality.

Maybe other people will be able to explain better...

There's also the important issue of early onset in childhood with Asperger's, which isn't a requirement of schizotypal pd.

i don't know, they seem quite different to me when you look at the diagnostic criteria for both. i guess that's not a very helpful reply, however.

What I read here was:

Schizotypal personality disorder (DSM–IV)
The DSM–IV diagnosis of schizotypal personality disorder depends on odd beliefs or magical thinking, bizarre fantasies or preoccupations, odd thinking and speech, odd, eccentric or peculiar behaviour and appearance, lack of close friends and social anxiety. All of these criteria can also occur in Asperger syndrome, and Wolff (1998) regards "Asperger syndrome and schizoid/schizotypal disorders as interchangeable terms that identify roughly the same group of children".

The reason I think schizotypal personality disorder is different is because the description I read here is subtly different. Schizotypal seems like it may be the result of undetected AS, but it could also be the result of something else. I didn't see anything about schizotypal folks having trouble understanding social cues, prosody, facial expressions, etc., or about schizotypal folks having overwhelming passionate interests.

Also, schizotypal folks seem to be attached to their own bizarre beliefs and not want to be influenced by others. AS folks seems to be left with erroneous beliefs because they learn in odd ways, but want to learn and can, with help. So the classic AS is sort of an "eternal novice" when it comes to social relations; the classic schizotypal doesn't want any part of social relations.

So they seem similar in a lot of ways, not quite the same.

Dog of the Gaps wrote: Schizotypal seems like it may be the result of undetected AS, but it could also be the result of something else..

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Are you thinking you have this 132......? Has something happened to make you suspect that over AS?

13243546 wrote:I have been going through all mental disorders quickly (and not very thoroughly to be honest).
I have this problem with identifying a clear difference between Aspergers and Schizotypal PD.
Both are loners, both are eccentric, both suffer from anxiety and depression, and have a tendency to see things as good or bad, can be thought of as rude or abrupt, heightened senses.

To be honest you seem to understand neither condition so you'll never understand the difference. Search out the diagnostic criteria for both as you're basically asking the difference between apples and oranges.

UK-SW wrote:

13243546 wrote:I have been going through all mental disorders quickly (and not very thoroughly to be honest).
I have this problem with identifying a clear difference between Aspergers and Schizotypal PD.
Both are loners, both are eccentric, both suffer from anxiety and depression, and have a tendency to see things as good or bad, can be thought of as rude or abrupt, heightened senses.

To be honest you seem to understand neither condition so you'll never understand the difference. Search out the diagnostic criteria for both as you're basically asking the difference between apples and oranges.

OK

topaz wrote:Are you thinking you have this 132......? Has something happened to make you suspect that over AS?

I think you're all forgetting something critical, is that Autism came out of the process of Schizophrenia being defined. Early diagnostics of Autism, were infantile schizophrenia... the symptomology is very very similar. Both are subclassed retracted and defined as living within the frameworks of their own little worlds. I still think that the boundaries by definition are criss-crossed. It has taken them nearly 14 years to sort out whether I was AS or Schizo... depending on the psychiatrist I'm both... with psychotic, and OCD. I've been labelled just about everything in the book. Including Paranoid Schizo, Avoidant, Schizotypal, Schizoaffective, Dependent, ADD and so on. If it can be settled on nothing else I have a very broad co-morbid spectrum disorder that on any given day is riddled with severe social phobias, anxiety, and very mixed and very deep depression. Include the meltdowns, high morals, and other subset and I can be Bi-Polar and Narcississtic... I have Discalculia, Dysgraphia, and a host of other things, along with selective mutism. It's enough for them to be basically say... "Good luck with that..." and they deem me unhelpable except for medications... I refuse to let them guess with meds if the best they can do is throw all sorts of labels at me. I might as well play russian roulette. I've also been termed gifted, or of high intelligence, with a semi-photographic memory, with excellent spacial and transitional qualities. Yet I lack the basic common sense of being able to function in society, and get hung up in ruts all the time over very very very small details that are sometimes so inconsequential yet they are major for me. I've struggled my whole life to get help, but you can't get help if they can't figure out what's wrong with you. I've struggled with suidicial ideations, a couple of attempts, low self-esteem, self-worth, and self-confidence. I can understand your need to figure things out, but trust me... there's no point in guessing... it just makes matters worse. The professionals say, "Leave it to the professionals." so that's what I do... and this is where I am... fighting everyday just to do the most basic things I can to make my life worth living... I score 182 Aspie to 18 NT on the RDOS test... I know I'm messed up... If you know you are too... then just leave it at that... look for solutions, not for what your hangups are. I know I suffer from bad bad bad ruts sometimes. But we all need to keep our heads up, even though some of us would rather be looking at the ground... yeah yeah.