Schizophrenia is most common in young adults, but it can also affect children. Childhood schizophrenia occurs in around 1 in 40,000 children, but irrespective of what age it occurs, the illness is chronic and causes immense problems for children with schizophrenia and their families.
Children with schizophrenia—at what age is the illness normally diagnosed?
It would be very unlikely for a child younger then seven to be diagnosed with schizophrenia. Younger children can sometimes act in strange ways, but most mental health professionals wait for symptoms to develop a long term pattern before diagnosing a younger child with schizophrenia. However, if an older child starts hearing voices or sees things that are not there, it is definitely abnormal behavior and could be an early sign of schizophrenia.
Childhood onset of schizophrenia symptoms
The diagnostic criteria of schizophrenia are the same for adults and children except that the symptoms occur much earlier. In adults and teenagers, the symptoms of schizophrenia can develop suddenly, but when schizophrenia affects children, it usually takes a lot longer for the illness to become apparent.
Children with schizophrenia may show signs of abnormal interruptions in the development of language or motor skills prior to the onset of schizophrenia, but as the illness progresses, other symptoms will begin to emerge. These can include hallucinations and paranoia, inappropriate reactions to social situations, a lack of emotion, difficulties paying attention and depression.
What other illnesses are the symptoms of childhood onset of schizophrenia sometimes mistaken for?
Unfortunately, children with schizophrenia are often misdiagnosed as the illness can mimic many other serious mental health problems such as autism, bipolar disorder, and personality disorders. Victims of child abuse can also exhibit the symptoms of psychosis often seen in those suffering from schizophrenia.
What causes schizophrenia in children?
When schizophrenia symptoms occur before the age of 12, they are normally caused by abnormal brain development. The childhood onset of schizophrenia causes a loss of brain tissue and MRI scans carried out on children diagnosed with schizophrenia have revealed large fluid filled cavities in the middle sections of the brain.
But although there is clear evidence of brain abnormalities in children with schizophrenia, there are also thought to be many other factors responsible for the development of the illness in children. These include an existing genetic predisposition towards schizophrenia, prenatal infections, oxygen deprivation at birth, and a dysfunctional childhood.
The genetic link in families with a child diagnosed as having schizophrenia is very strong and research has indicated that there are certain genes responsible for the onset of childhood schizophrenia: close relatives of a child diagnosed with childhood inset schizophrenia are two times as likely to develop a mental illness in the schizophrenia spectrum of disorders.
What treatments are available for children with schizophrenia?
There are many modern treatments now available to help children with schizophrenia lead normal lives and cope with their illness.
New generations of anti psychotics such as clozapine can help to reduce hallucinations and delusional behavior.
Other treatment options include families counseling and psychotherapy, and with the right help, a child with schizophrenia can learn to manage their symptoms and continue with their education.
Resources
- Hallucinations in Children and Adolescents: Considerations in the Emergency Setting, by Gail A. Edelson, 05/01/2006. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY Volume 163 Issue 5, May, 2006, pp. 781-785
although undiagnosed at this time, i believe my nephew is schizo. he is 11 and started seeing and hearing things only at school in sept. 2014. he is on risperdal and low dose prozac. he has these auditory and visula hall. when he gets stressed during class (he says he sees demons and kids with fangs and sometimes they “talk” him). i believe his teacher becomes overwhelmed and might contribute to some of his behaviours. he is a great kid, sometimes a little talkative. his twin will be going to sixth grade. he will repeat fifth. i am worried that this will bring on more episodes in the future shcool year. my heart really goes out to him and am really worried about suicidal ideations (here recently he says “michael” said he should end it. he never acts on his auditory halls.) we are very religious. any advice or med suggestions would be helpful.
My sister Patty was an artistic type that was constantly sketching or drawing and had quite a natural talIent for art. In the late 60’s she moved to the San Francisco area at the age of 17. She called me on occasions and told me of the life of living in a commune. She was not into drugs much but did smoke pot on rare occasions that someone had some but most of their resources and time were spent on food and lifes necessities. She told me that one day she was in the forest and she happened upon two mushrooms, one very large fully open and the other a cap but both were bright red with white poka dots. Because of the beauty of these that she had never seen except in the illistrations of the story of Alice in Wonderland she picked them and took them back to show the others. When she returned they were preparing to cook some eggs that they had gotten from one of the farms nearby. One of the older men, a self claimed Guru who I imagine was probably in his mid 20’s claimed that they should cook them with they eggs which they did. The next few days were discribed by her as severe hallucinations and paranoia. She soon left the encampment and made her way down to the San Francisco bay. She later described to me a feeling of bees flying around in her head, utter chaos and constant confusion so much so she jumped off a dock that was near 40 feet above the water to escape it. After spending many months in Metropolitan state (mental) hospital in the bay area Patty returned home but not at all that vibrant young artist that left home the year before. Her art went from bright cheery subjects to dark dismal even evil subjects. She would have episodes of hate and rage and would destroy everything within reach. She spent the next 20 years in and out of hospitals and on the streets. Patty became a ward of the state after she tore up my parents home a few times and wasn’t allowed back.
A few years later I moved back to my parents home to stay while I built a room addition to their home. I moved into the bedroom that my sister had because I was removing the wall of my old room to open up into a new master bedroom. One night while I lay there asleep on my back, which I never stayed in that position very long but because of exaustion I lay that way most the night. I woke up just before dawn as my dad was leaving for work and attempted turn onto my side and go back to sleep, I couldn’t, it seemed that the heavy quilt was streched so tight I couldn’t move. Then all at once I was fully awake and aware that I was being held captive by some unseen force or being and the feeling of utter terror engulfed me to the point I could not even screem to my mother that was in the room across the hall. I was griped with such fear and terror that I couldn’t even move. I remember feeling an evil presence near me that struck such fear as to give me a feeling of being held down and pressed into the bed. It seamed that I was about to be taken by this evil and my will was begining to weaken when it came into my mind that I needed to pray. I spent summers with my grandparents and we prayed for everything, food, sleep even before a long trip in the car. So I prayed and at the end of my prayer, as I was taught, I said in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen… That’s the last thing I remember until I woke the next morning. I got up and could see that the sheet was wet I’m assuming from sweat in the shape of my body so I pulled it off, then I could see the mattress was also wet in the shape of my body. I could recall the incident with such vivid clarity that it was hard to believe it was a dream. I dismissed it and wrote it off as the worst dream I had ever had until about two months later I had completed the new master bedroom addition and had moved into the old master bedroom. One morning after sunrise I was laying in bed, my parents both had left for work and they had left the door open to my room at my request when they left. I was barely awake when I heard someone walking down the hall towards my room. I heard him walk up to the doorway and as I attempted to jump up to confront the stranger I was instantly gripped by the same fear that I had experianced the first time. This evil whatever didn’t leave me alone for 6 years. I finally moved to Palm Desert near Palm Springs and that was the end of it except for a couple of incidences over the years, When this evil being would visit me during the six years, I would experiance the exact same feeling of bees in my head and confusion that my sister described years earlier before her complete breakdown and I’m convinced this is the pathway to Schizophrenia. sincerely, Dennis