Study Status: Recruiting
Recruit Status: Recruiting
Study Type: Observational
Official Title: Psychopathological Differences Between Asperger Syndrome/Normal IQ, no Language Impairment Autism Spectrum Disorder and Schizotypal Disorder in an Adult Sample
Brief Summary:
The purpose of this study is to identify psychopathology (psychiatric symptoms) that can differentiate between Schizotypal Disorder (SD) and Asperger Syndrome (normal IQ, no language impairment Autism Spectrum Disorder) (AS) in young adults.
With our present knowledge, the differentiation between AS and SD can be difficult, as they both present with social difficulties, odd (but not psychotic) behaviour, and a 'feeling of not being as everyone else'. Studies suggest that adults with AS symptoms are either overlooked, or diagnosed within the schizophrenia spectrum in Adult Psychiatry.
A 'correct' diagnosis is important, as it is the first step towards the most optimal plan, treatment and rehabilitation for the patient. The only way to diagnose psychiatric illness is the description of present psychopathology.
To identify symptoms that can differentiate between the two disorders, we will use semi-structured interviews to explore present psychopathology in young adults with typical symptoms of SD and AS respectively, with special focus on presence of alterations in self-experience. Alterations in self-experience are typical for the schizophrenia spectrum, and are therefore not thought to be equally present in AS and SD.
The hypotheses are that the total level of altered experiences is higher in SD, than in AS, and with a different pattern of altered experiences in SD than in AS. If the hypotheses are true, an examination of altered self-experience will be valuable to aid clinical differentiation between the two disorders.