General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: The Isla Vista shooter COULD have gotten a girlfriend [View all]pnwmom
(108,959 posts)with autism, and he didn't begin therapy until he was 8. His parents only suspected autism. So it is more likely that his doctors finally prescribed an anti-psychotic because he was exhibiting psychotic symptoms.
But there is a large overlap between the social cognition symptoms of autism and of pre-schizophrenia. Given that no doctor ever diagnosed him with autism, and his final acts which were much more in keeping with paranoid schizophrenia, it is more likely that he had pre-schizophrenia all along -- or perhaps a combination of autism and schizophrenia, because co-morbidity can exist.
Paranoid schizophrenia is less likely to affect logic and thinking and planning than other forms of schizophrenia. So his long project in the service of his delusion of grandeur doesn't rule out paranoid schizophrenia at all.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/paranoid-schizophrenia/basics/symptoms/con-20029040
Signs and symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia may include:
Auditory hallucinations, such as hearing voices
Delusions, such as believing a co-worker wants to poison you
Anxiety
Anger
Emotional distance
Violence
Argumentativeness
Self-important or condescending manner
Suicidal thoughts and behavior
With paranoid schizophrenia, you're less likely to be affected by mood problems or problems with thinking, concentration and attention.
Key symptoms
Delusions and hallucinations are the symptoms that make paranoid schizophrenia most distinct from other types of schizophrenia.
Delusions. In paranoid schizophrenia, a common delusion is that you're being singled out for harm. For instance, you may believe that the government is monitoring every move you make or that a co-worker is poisoning your lunch. You may also have delusions of grandeur the belief that you can fly, that you're famous or that you have a relationship with a famous person, for example. You hold on to these false beliefs despite evidence to the contrary. Delusions can result in aggression or violence if you believe you must act in self-defense against those who want to harm you.
Auditory hallucinations. An auditory hallucination is the perception of sound usually voices that no one else hears. The sounds may be a single voice or many voices. These voices may talk either to you or to each other. The voices are usually unpleasant. They may make ongoing criticisms of what you're thinking or doing, or make cruel comments about your real or imagined faults. Voices may also command you to do things that can be harmful to yourself or to others. When you have paranoid schizophrenia, these voices seem real. You may talk to or shout at the voices.