Schizophrenia in children is a dangerous disease, and you probably don’t need to convince yourself of this. The symptoms of childhood schizophrenia—emotional withdrawal, avoidance of contact, and bizarre behavior—resemble those of teenage rebellion. The earlier childhood schizophrenia is diagnosed, the better the chances of getting the desired treatment results. What is typical for children with schizophrenia, and what should parents worry about?
Schizophrenia is relatively rare in children—childhood schizophrenia accounts for about 5 percent of all cases—but it should be remembered that psychosis, although much less common, can occur in the youngest group. The diagnosis of schizophrenia often causes fear both in the patient himself and in his immediate environment. It is known that patients suffering from this disease can experience significant difficulties in many areas of life: whether in the family or in the professional sphere. Depending on the age of onset of symptoms of the disease, two forms of childhood schizophrenia are distinguished:
- Early-onset schizophrenia (EOS), in which the illness occurs before adulthood.
- very early onset schizophrenia (VEOS), in which the disease occurs even earlier, before the age of 13 years.
Childhood schizophrenia is almost twice as common in boys.
Schizophrenia in children: causes
As with many other mental illnesses, the specific causes of schizophrenia in children are unknown. Scientists, analyzing the pathogenesis of the disease, take into account genetic diseases, problems experienced by the child during fetal life, as well as the influence of harmful environmental factors.
The involvement of genes in the occurrence of childhood schizophrenia may be evidenced by the fact that the disease occurs more often in those children in whose families someone previously suffered from psychotic disorders.
In the case of problems that occur before birth, prenatal infections or the use of substances that can have a potentially adverse effect on the fetus (for example, various drugs) are considered possible causes of schizophrenia in children. In turn, environmental factors that can also contribute to the development of the disease, in turn, parental neglect of the educational process or violence from other children.
Schizophrenia in children: symptoms
Schizophrenia in children does not have to begin with the sudden onset of psychotic symptoms. At first, the disease can develop imperceptibly, and the violations can gradually worsen. It happens that the child begins to talk less, isolate or show strange behavior. It is often difficult even for parents to suspect that something is wrong with their child — the above problems sometimes occur during the so-called youthful rebellion, when a young person begins to experience a strong need for independence.