All about childhood schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness that can affect anyone, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or age. While it is not as common as anxiety or depression, the World Health Organization estimates that 24 million people worldwide, or one in every 300, are schizophrenic. While schizophrenia in young children is rare, it can occur in older children, tweens, and teens.

What exactly is schizophrenia?

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) defines schizophrenia as “a chronic mental health disorder that affects how a person feels, thinks, and behaves”.

The disorder causes people to alternate between reality and their distorted perceptions of reality. It can have an impact on their thought patterns and behaviours. People suffering from schizophrenia frequently have visual and/or auditory hallucinations. Confusion, as well as jumbled thought patterns and speaking, are also common.

“Schizophrenia is a type of mental illness that can cause distressing problems with thoughts (paranoid ideas), perceptional experiences (hearing voices when alone), communication (disorganised speech), and behaviour (agitated or disorganised),” says Gloria Reeves of the University of Maryland Medical Center. 

“In addition, individuals with schizophrenia may withdraw and/or experience a significant decline in social and academic/vocational functioning.”

What causes schizophrenia in adolescents?

Schizophrenia is thought to be a brain disease that runs in families. However, life experiences also influence the risk of schizophrenia. Survivors of traumatic experiences, for example, are especially vulnerable to this condition.

What are schizophrenia symptoms in teens?

Schizophrenia symptoms vary from person to person and case to case. They might also evolve over time. According to the AAP, some common signs and symptoms of schizophrenia exist in children, tweens, and teens. These include:

• Difficulty concentrating 
• Confused thoughts or speech 
• Having difficulty in school 
• Withdrawing from family and friends 
• Increased isolation 
• Persistent anxiety and/or fear 
• Mood instability
• Unpredictable and erratic behaviour 
• Lack of eye contact 
• Unresponsiveness to others 
• Disorganised thinking 
• Hallucinations 
• Delusions

How is schizophrenia identified?

If you are concerned that your child is displaying some of the symptoms of schizophrenia, you should consult with their paediatrician. 

Your child’s doctor can rule out other causes of your child’s symptoms, such as another mental illness, a medical condition, or drug or alcohol use.

If all other conditions or reasons for their behaviour have been ruled out, your next step should be to seek the assistance of a mental health professional. 

Treatment for schizophrenia in teens

Schizophrenia symptoms can be managed with medication and therapy. Having realistic expectations is important, however, because teens with schizophrenia require treatment for the rest of their lives.

According to the AAP, antipsychotic medications are the foundation of schizophrenia treatment for adolescents. These medications can aid in treating psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions. They can also prevent visualisations. 

Another important component of your child’s treatment is psychotherapy. This is usually done with the assistance of a professional, preferably one with experience treating young people with schizophrenia.

However, treating your child is only one part of the solution. It is critical to create a healthy and supportive environment. The best thing families can do to help youth with schizophrenia is to seek help and information as soon as problems arise.

Early intervention for schizophrenia can lead to the best long-term recovery trajectory. Other priorities include keeping the adolescent on track with typical developmental activities like going to school and seeing friends, as well as providing family education and support to help them understand their child’s condition and support their child’s recovery.