Schizophrenia in Children

Children and adults can suffer from a wide range of disorders. Some disorders are mild and require little to no special attention. However, there are disorders that can be completely life altering, especially for young children. Several recent studies have shown that anywhere from 1 in 10 children have a mental illness that is severe enough to cause some amount of impairment while handling daily tasks. Common mental disorders in children include: Schizophrenia, Depression, ADHD, Eating Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Manic Depressive Illness, Developmental issues and Autism.

With that said, one of the rarer disorders is Schizophrenia in children. About 1% of people are affected by this disorder. Schizophrenia age of onset varies from person to person, some can be affected under the age of 12 and others can develop symptoms during the adolescent years on through adulthood. With treatment, the illness can be controlled making this disorder easier for some families to cope with.

Early symptoms of Schizophrenia can be different among age groups. With children the early symptoms of schizophrenia include: odd, eccentric behavior, bizarre and random thoughts/ideas, hallucinations (seeing and hearing things that are not possible), confusion between real and fake thoughts, moodiness, state of paranoia, withdrawn and difficulty relating to others, and/or decline in personal hygiene. Psychosis in children can be a very difficult illness to diagnose especially for children under the age of 12. Children have a difficult time expressing their feelings and thoughts without any illnesses, so trying to diagnose a child with a mental disorder is even more difficult. Although it is difficult, it is important and possible with the help of family members and doctors. Once a diagnosis is made, treatments can be talked about and arranged for long term help.

Treatment for Schizophrenia includes a variety of options. Some of the more common are proving social skill development programs, antipsychotic medications to reduce hallucinations or atypical antipsychotic medications such as Clozapine to help improve motivation, and/or psychotherapy for the affected child and family. Parents tend to worry about how their child will be treated at schools. Every child is guaranteed “free appropriate education”. Regardless of any illness that school has to appoint the appropriate programs to help every child be as successful as he/she can be. After an evaluation, school officials will determine what types of special education programs a child can receive.
Children with Schizophrenia will deal with the illness throughout their life. On the long journey there may be a times when the child goes through periods of depression even while on medications. Depression can appear in people with mental illnesses and those without. Depression and schizophrenia often co-exist because of the feelings of hopelessness that can occur. Studies have shown that nearly 50% of schizophrenia patients suffer from both illnesses and that the causes of the two may be very similar.

Children can display a wide variety of actions that are sometimes questionable. However, it is when these actions become recurrent happenings that there may be a chance that something more is going on. Although mental illnesses can be hard to diagnose, it is important to not ignore any symptoms that may be present. Identifying symptoms early will be the best way to ensure that treatment will be helpful in the long run. With the help of doctors and the support of family members, a child with Schizophrenia will live as normal of a life as possible!