Symptom Overlap in Schizophrenia

• Symptom overlap occurs when the symptoms of two mental illnesses are very similar. It is very problematic between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
• Ripke et al (2011) looked at 50,000 patients’ genetic material. They found that of seven gene locations on the genome associated with schizophrenia, three were also associated with bipolar disorder. This suggests there was a genetic overlap between the two disorders.
• Genetic overlap between disorders suggests that clusters of genes may be responsible for the conditions which opens up the possibility of gene therapy.
• Neuroscience is showing clear differences in the brains of sufferers with schizophrenia which are not shown in other disorders. Scanning techniques may help in the diagnosis and subsequently may result in less symptom overlap in the long run.
• Ketter (2005) points out that misdiagnosis due to symptom overlap could lead to the wrong treatment and needless suffering.
• The stickiness of labels and the negative association with a diagnosis of schizophrenia may make clinicians especially cautious. It is not uncommon for a patient to have two possible diagnoses for a couple of months, until the picture becomes clearer.
• Konstantareas & Hewitt (2001) compared 14 people with autism and 14 people with schizophrenia. None of those with schizophrenia had symptoms of autism but seven (50%) of those with autism reported symptoms of schizophrenia.
• Symptom overlap is a limitation of schizophrenia diagnosis.
• Both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder can involve positive symptoms such as delusions and negative symptoms such as avolition.
• Symptom overlap between schizophrenia and autism can complicate the process of distinguishing between the two disorders.
• Identifying and understanding the specific symptoms that differentiate schizophrenia from autism is crucial for accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
• Misdiagnosis due to symptom overlap between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder can lead to incorrect treatment and unnecessary suffering.