Symptoms of Schizophrenia In Children

The symptoms of schizophrenia can be difficult to read in children. After all, don't most kids have imaginary friends that seem very real to them? And isn't it common for kids to be a little shy and socially withdrawn at school? Don't many kids make up fake words and change from one subject to the next with no real rhyme or reason? Kids always hate taking baths, right? While some of these signs may be commonplace for very young children, these could be red flags as your child reaches age 7 and beyond. Diagnosing a mental illness like schizophrenia in children is rare, with 1 in 40,000 children diagnosed at any one time. Even so, early treatment is a good idea so the child can begin developing normally early, before even more complications arise.

Eighty percent of affected children say that auditory hallucinations are their primary symptoms of schizophrenia. Their moodiness, shyness, lack of emotiveness and disorganized speech can often be mistaken for other conditions. As a result, many children progress into adolescence before more disturbing symptoms appear, like delusions, bizarre behavior and thought disorders. Early warning signs might include confusing TV shows or dreams with reality, expressing extreme fear that someone might harm them, hearing voices that issue instructions or regressing to act like a younger child. Even if the child is not good at making friends, the fact that the child is at least interested in making friends often rules out early schizophrenia.

Far too often, children are misdiagnosed with schizophrenia. Hallucinations and delusions are schizophrenia symptoms that distinguish it from something like autism. These hallucinations and delusions are not one-time events, but rather, they persist for at least six months. Usually a child begins to show symptoms at age 7, whereas an autistic child is more commonly diagnosed by age 3. Sometimes the manic fits of acute schizophrenia are mistaken for a personality disorder, bipolar disorder or dissociative disorder. Most children with this brain disorder show no interest in making or maintaining friendships, which also marks their condition.

Symptoms of schizophrenia often run down familial lines, although the exact genetic link and what causes schizophrenia is yet to be determined. A parent with thought disorders has a 10-15% chance of passing it down to their kids. Once a child is diagnosed, there is a 7-8% chance that his or her siblings will also be diagnosed with the disorder. Mental health professionals have found many of the same distinctive brain features in people living with schizophrenia. For instance, researchers found that fluid-filled cavities in the brain center begin expanding and brain tissue volume shrinks between ages 14 and 18 for early onset patients. Compared to other children, these subjects lost four times as much gray matter, neurons and dendrites in their frontal lobes, affecting attention, perception, organizing, planning and other executive functions.

Related topics about schizophrenia in children
Treating Schizophrenia Takes Commitment
Several factors seem to influence the prognosis for treating schizophrenia. For instance, a family history of schizophrenia may make it more difficult for an individual to recover, especially if others in the house are not receiving treatment for their thought disorders. Generally, patients who see a sudden onset (as opposed to a gradual one) fare better in recovery, as do patients who are older.

Five Types of Schizophrenia Disorder
Most types of schizophrenia (75% of all schizophrenics) experience illogical delusions in their acute phase of the disorder. Hallucinations are another type of acute "positive" symptom. Patients often report feeling as though bugs are crawling all over them, hearing voices and believing that there are sinister controlling forces out to get them.

Identifying Schizophrenia Symptoms
Schizophrenia is considered a brain disorder because it is so disruptive to how people experience life. Schizophrenics may have thoughts that run through their heads incessantly. They usually feel hung up on a past relationship, a missed opportunity or a disappointment.