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- Title
From the Asperger's syndrome to the Diogenes syndrome.
- Authors
Padovan, C.; Laurent, J.; Herrmann, M.; Chesnoy-Servanin, G.; Dorey, J.M.
- Abstract
The Diogenes and Asperger's syndromes share social cognition deficits and a disturbance in social functioning. Our objective is to discuss the close relationship between these two clinical entities. In routine clinical practice of aging people, the Asperger's syndrome is rarely seen in medical consultation because symptoms may be confused with other psychiatric diseases more prevalent in aging population. The aim is to discover if Asperger's syndrome could be the comorbidity of another symptom, such as Diogenes syndrome or if it is a primary syndrome engendering other symptoms, such as Diogenes syndrome. In this perspective, the Asperger's syndrome could be seen as a misunderstood syndrome in aging people. We report the case of a patient whose Diogenes syndrome was discovered during a social intervention visit by a nurse, following a medical consultation for a breach of trust issue and behavioural disorders. The neuropsychological assessment of this patient revealed: – normal intellectual, memory and instrumental functioning; – a difficulty in a problem solving task only for the task involving the use of a context to answer; – an impairment in an emotional recognition task. During the psychiatric examination, the relationship was strange. The patient exhibited symptoms that mimic those of people having an Asperger's syndrome. In aging people, the Asperger's syndrome should be routinely screened in case of self-neglect, domestic squalor, excessive social withdrawal, hoarding, a lack of concern for one's living condition and a lack of shame.
- Subjects
ASPERGER'S syndrome patients; DIOGENES syndrome; SOCIAL perception; MEDICAL consultation; DISEASE prevalence; POPULATION aging; DIAGNOSIS
- Publication
European Psychiatry, 2016, Vol 33, pS585
- ISSN
0924-9338
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1016/j.eurpsy.2016.01.1722