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Teenager with Asperger's- Hallucinations

Cassie

Hi

My son is 17 and was diagnosed initially with prodromal psychosis, and later with Aspergers after a 4 month stint in a  day unit earlier in the year. I am reasonably confidant that this diagnosis is correct, because he was observed in a clinical environment amongst peers for a long time before it was made.

However, for around 3 years he has been having visual and auditory hallucinations also. He sees and hears somebody who isn't real. The consultant seems to think that this is all part of the ASD but I'm not so sure. I don't believe it is typical for people with autism to hallucinate. He has also suffered from delusions. He is currently taking Seroquel which he describes as 'turning down the volume'

I have a feeling that he might have co-morbid szchizophrenia, but I really hope he doesn't and that all of his disturbed thoughts are due to Asperger's. I'm finding all of this very difficult and have not had a great deal of support from CAMHS or anywhere else recently. He doesn't like to talk to me about any of this and everything I know I was told by other people- mainly my daughter. He forces me to leave the room when he's talking to his doctor about the hallucinations and has confidentiality which I also find very difficult as it limits my ability to help him in any constructive way. He has not told the doctor the full extent of his hallucinations and so I am worried that his diagnosis may not be complete.

any advice welcomed.

Cass

Parents

  • NAS8338 said:

    My Husband age 53, diagnosed earlier this year with ASD, Also has Hallucinations, Visual, Auditory and  Olfactory. They were very evident Just before His break down and continued for months after. After looking back at other times when He has had these ''visions'' etc, We can now see that they occur when He is becoming overloaded/depressed and unable to cope.

    Thank-you for your comment and validation of my experience (as well as others')

    I have had three major "overload" nervous breakdowns - probably more if I cared to sift through the memories. Like your husband, the visioning/dreamstate crossover is much worse when under high levels of stress.

    I have arrived at the personal conclusion that the chronic depression i have suffered from for most of my life has to do with the sensory overload of autism and is my body finding a way to permanently turn *down the volume* of the world around me.

    I make use of a lot of timeouts, body awareness exercises, and meditation. The timeout time and the repetitive tasks I need to do to soothe myself have not been wholly appreciated by my cohabititave partners (ex-wife, ex-fiancee...). I use computer games as a fun way to regain a sense of order (they are repetitive and structured [e.g. the game civilization]), but it is often perceived as being fun time and slacking, not a time-out when losing it emotionally... I have been considering getting one of those small trampolines like at gyms for bouncing as an alternative that will also be good exercise and balance/physicality honing/practice (I have some balance issues that go with the perceptual differences)

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  • NAS8338 said:

    My Husband age 53, diagnosed earlier this year with ASD, Also has Hallucinations, Visual, Auditory and  Olfactory. They were very evident Just before His break down and continued for months after. After looking back at other times when He has had these ''visions'' etc, We can now see that they occur when He is becoming overloaded/depressed and unable to cope.

    Thank-you for your comment and validation of my experience (as well as others')

    I have had three major "overload" nervous breakdowns - probably more if I cared to sift through the memories. Like your husband, the visioning/dreamstate crossover is much worse when under high levels of stress.

    I have arrived at the personal conclusion that the chronic depression i have suffered from for most of my life has to do with the sensory overload of autism and is my body finding a way to permanently turn *down the volume* of the world around me.

    I make use of a lot of timeouts, body awareness exercises, and meditation. The timeout time and the repetitive tasks I need to do to soothe myself have not been wholly appreciated by my cohabititave partners (ex-wife, ex-fiancee...). I use computer games as a fun way to regain a sense of order (they are repetitive and structured [e.g. the game civilization]), but it is often perceived as being fun time and slacking, not a time-out when losing it emotionally... I have been considering getting one of those small trampolines like at gyms for bouncing as an alternative that will also be good exercise and balance/physicality honing/practice (I have some balance issues that go with the perceptual differences)

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