Spirituality and mental health are two interconnected aspects of our well-being. Many individuals draw comfort, guidance, and a sense of purpose from their spiritual beliefs. These beliefs can play a significant role in promoting mental resilience and providing a framework for coping with life's challenges. Spiritual experiences can range from a sense of connection to a higher power or universal energy to divine revelations or encounters with entities beyond the material wor

Historically, what we now know as schizophrenia has been perceived differently across time and cultural contexts. In different cultures (and at different times) the same experiences can be seen either as special gifts or pathological experiences – symptoms of psychotic illnesses and disorders. Those who in the West are referred to as psychotics or schizophrenics, in other cultures can be considered healers or shamans. It is notable that some religions were started by ‘experie

Two Spectra or Continua? Autism and schizophrenia are two complex neurodevelopmental disorders/conditions that have been extensively studied in the field of psychiatry. Although ASD and schizophrenia share some overlapping symptoms and risk factors, they are distinct neurodevelopmental conditions with different diagnostic criteria and clinical presentations. Historical Note Both autism and schizophrenia have a long history, but their understanding and diagnostic criteria have

Distinct features and diagnostic challenges of psychosis in autis m Although there is a considerable overlap in symptoms, it is important to recognize that autism and psychosis are distinct conditions . Nevertheless, it is not uncommon for these two conditions to co-occur, and their comorbidity rates are significantly higher compared to the general adult population. Intriguingly, significant associations were found between autistic traits and probable psychosis and psychotic

Prevalence and comorbidity Comorbidity , or the coexistence of two or more disorders, is common in both autistic individuals and people with psychotic disorders. Psychosis and bipolar disorder are two commonly occurring psychiatric disorders that affect autistic individuals throughout their lives (Ghaziuddin & Ghaziuddin 2021; Foss-Feig et al. 2021; Jutla et al. 2021; Vaquerizo-Serrano et al. 2021; Bitsika et al. 2021). In fact, the prevalence of these disorders is significan

Overlapping symptoms and differences Psychosis Psychosis is not a diagnosis in and of itself but rather a cluster of symptoms present in...

Distinguishing between hallucinations and “hallucinations” Hallucinations are said to be false perceptions that occur in the absence of appropriate external stimuli, and are usually seen by only one individual. Most often they are experienced by people with specific kinds of mental illness, or under the influence of drugs or alcohol. However, it is important to distinguish between hallucinations and “hallucinations”. For instance, it is known that children normally have much

At present, mind-body therapies (such as mindfulness and meditation) are often used with and by autistic children and adults. There are research studies that show the efficacy of mindfulness therapy adapted for autistic individuals. For example, mindfulness-based interventions can lead to self-reported improvements in self-compassion, and reduced levels of distress in autistic adults (Lunsky et al. 2022); a significant decrease in self-injurious and aggressive/destructive beh

Similarities and differences in conceptualisation, diagnosis and research Similarities: ASD and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative conditions that manifest themselves at different stages of life (two opposite ends of life span, i.e., childhood and old age) (Nadeem et al. 2021; Khan et al. 2016; Rhodus et al. 2020). According to the present trend, they both can be described as neurodivergent conditions. In fact, include both ASD and dementia