Rethinking the Concept of Psychosis and the Link Between Autism and Schizophrenia

Aggernæs, Bodil

doi:10.21307/sjcapp-2016-002

Cited by 1 publication

(8 citation statements)

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“…A basic assumption of the redefined concept of psychosis reflected by the conceptual hypothesis of psychosis is that characteristic cognitive impairments related to reasoning with no measurable abnormal changes within the neurotransmitter systems may be sufficient for psychosis to develop and that no awareness of the deviation of thinking may be necessary. As previously discussed (Aggernæs, ), this assumption may be in line with observations by Aggernæs et al . ().…”

Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 92%

“…The observations that deviances of thinking observed in schizophrenia and autistic symptoms may also be present across the typical cognitive development of children may be consistent with a dimensional approach to mental illness and the neurodevelopmental cognitive hypothesis . Furthermore, the observations may be in accordance with the suggested phenomenological transdiagnostic hypothesis and the suggestion that the rigidity of thought observed in patients with schizophrenia may reflect common cognitive impairments observed at a more severe level in patients with autism spectrum disorders (Aggernæs, ).…”

Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 86%

“…The ideas presented here represent a further development of previously suggested theoretical ideas linking autism, schizophrenia and psychosis (Aggernæs, ). In developing these previous ideas, the present author owes much inspiration to Craddock & Owen (), Kapur et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 73%

“…The phenomenological transdiagnostic hypothesis and the neurodevelopmental cognitive hypothesis suggest that a link between autism and schizophrenia consists of common cognitive impairments operating at different levels of cognitive complexity, clinically appearing as a characteristic rigidity of thought observed whenever cognitively susceptible individuals reach the limits of their cognitive abilities (Aggernæs, ). Is it possible that this rigidity of thought is associated with impairments of cognitive flexibility and may relate to one or both separate cognitive components of executive functions suggested by Eslinger and Grattan?…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The overall assumption is that what may connect autism with schizophrenia is a characteristic rigidity of thought reflecting cognitive impairments comparable in nature but only becoming visible when susceptible individuals reach the limits of their cognitive abilities at different levels of cognitive complexity across the normal course of development (Aggernæs, ). In schizophrenia the rigidity of thought is clinically observed as a proneness to experience the imaginary world as being real (Aggernæs et al ., ), whereas in autism it is manifested by a concrete, inflexible type of thinking that may reflect difficulties with the handling of concepts or abstract language (Aggernæs, ). If this assumption is true, then from a neurocognitive perspective, clinical symptoms of schizophrenia may result from cognitive impairments comparable in nature but less severe than those of autism.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Autism: a transdiagnostic, dimensional, construct of reasoning?

Aggernæs

2017

Eur J of Neuroscience

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The concept of autism has changed across time, from the Bleulerian concept, which defined it as one of several symptoms of dementia praecox, to the present‐day concept representing a pervasive development disorder. The present theoretical contribution to this special issue of EJN on autism introduces new theoretical ideas and discusses them in light of selected prior theories, clinical examples, and recent empirical evidence. The overall aim is to identify some present challenges of diagnostic practice and autism research and to suggest new pathways that may help direct future research. Future research must agree on the definitions of core concepts such as autism and psychosis. A possible redefinition of the concept of autism may be a condition in which the rationale of an individual's behaviour differs qualitatively from that of the social environment due to characteristic cognitive impairments affecting reasoning. A broad concept of psychosis could focus on deviances in the experience of reality resulting from impairments of reasoning. In this light and consistent with recent empirical evidence, it may be appropriate to redefine dementia praecox as a developmental disorder of reasoning. A future challenge of autism research may be to develop theoretical models that can account for the impact of complex processes acting at the social level in addition to complex neurobiological and psychological processes. Such models could profit from a distinction among processes related to (i) basic susceptibility, (ii) adaptive processes and (iii) decompensating factors involved in the development of manifest illness.

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Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 73%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations