CHILDHOOD ONSET
SCHIZOPHRENIA
A presentation
for future
health care
workers
WHAT IS SCHIZOPHRENIA?
 A disorder of the mind in which a person experiences
symptoms (positive or negative) that are present for at least
1-6 months 1 .
 Positive symptoms: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized
speech, strange erratic behavior
 Negative symptoms: Loss of speech, movement, emotion, etc
Those with schizophrenia have trouble differentiating between
reality and the voices in their head, cannot think clearly, and
struggle to act normally in social situations.
COMMON SCHIZOPHRENIA SYMPTOMS
AMONG CHILDREN
 Language delays
 Late crawling or walking
 Abnormal motor skill use (arm flapping, rocking,
flailing legs)
 Imaginary friends
 Hearing voices
 Lack of or inappropriate emotion
 Illogical thinking
 Incoherent speech
 Decreased self care (brushing hair, teeth, etc)
PSYSIOLOGICAL
EFFECTS
OF
SCHIZOPH
RENIA
T YPES OF SCHIZOPHRENIA
 Paranoid-extreme feelings of suspicion, mistrust, and
persecution
 Disorganized- inappropriate thoughts, speech, and
behavior
 Catatonic- coma like daze, unresponsive
 Residual- individuals with symptoms who are found
to no longer be psychotic after experiencing a
psychotic episode
 Undifferentiated-the presence of psychotic symptoms
but otherwise unclassifiable
WHAT CAUSES IT?
The actual cause of schizophrenia is
unknown, although some factors have
been determined to increase the chance
of developing the disease
Genetic factors
Environmental factors
GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
 Greatest risk of developing found with having a first degree relative with the disease.
 A child of 2 parents with schizophrenia has a 46%
chance of developing the disorder 2 .
 Significant overlap has been found in the genetics of
schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
 Living in an urban environment increases risk by a
factor of two 3 .
 Social isolation, poor housing conditions, racial
discrimination, family dysfunction, and other
stressors play an important role also.
NEUROLOGICAL EXPLANATION
 Associated with slight differences in brain structure
and chemistry during psychotic states.
 Differences seem to be most commonly found in
frontal and temporal lobes and the hippocampus.
 Use of drugs to block dopamine functions during
psychotic breaks have led to speculations of the
influence of dopamine on schizophrenia.
PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPLANATION
Many alternative reality’s have been found in
those with the diagnosis
Directly related to current and past stressors
Despite general appearance, those with
schizophrenia are emotionally responsive,
sometimes even with increased sensitivity.
THE USE OF FUNCTIONAL MRI
WHO DOES IT EFFECT?
Schizophrenia effects both men and women
equally
It occurs at similar rates in all ethnic groups
Symptoms typically appear between ages 16
and 30
Men tend to experience symptoms at a
younger age
Difficult to diagnose in children and teens
RISK OF
DEVELOPING
SCHIZOPH
RENIA
MEET JANI…
 7 years old
 Diagnosed with extreme early onset schizophrenia at
age 3
 Withdrew from other children, angered easily,
experienced hallucinations such as a cat named 24
hours and a rat named Monday telling her to attack
her parents and young brother
 Spent almost an entire year in the
Psychiatric hospital after becoming
aggressive
MEET JANI…
 The family was forced to rent two - one bedroom
apartments to protect the safety of their son, and
split their time between the two
 In 2011 the family was finally able to move back into
one apartment after Jani’s symptoms were
controllable.
 Bodhi was recently diagnosed with an autism
spectrum disorder. Jani has become rather protective
of her brother because she understands he too has
problems.
HISTORY OF THE DISEASE
In the late 19 th century, children were rarely
diagnosed with psychosis, but were diagnosed
with “pubescent insanity”
Those with mental illnesses were thought of
as cursed and crazy
In 1950, childhood psychosis became more
and more common, many psychiatrists began
studying common symptoms.
HISTORY OF THE DISEASE
 By the early 1960’s, childhood schizophrenia became
known as a mixture of several diseases such as
autism and symbiotic psychosis,
 Not directly added to DSM until 1980 when it was
added to the DSM-III
DIFFICULT Y WITH DIAGNOSIS
 Symptoms may only be observed by family or friends
 Symptoms are typically confused with other
developmental disorders
 Many parents in denial of children’s symptoms
 Symptoms typically have a gradual onset
COMPARISON OF AUTISM AND
SCHIZOPHRENIA
HOW IS IT DIAGNOSED?
Physical exam
EEG and brain scans
Blood test
Psychological evaluation
TREATMENT OPTIONS
Antipsychotic Medications
Psychological/ social support
Hospitalization
WORKING WITH CHILDREN WITH
SCHIZOPHRENIA
A child with schizophrenia will need extra attention,
and typically requires one on one work. May need
extra help with things such as:
 Attention engagement
 Identifying feelings
 Relationships
 Emotion management
GENERAL PROGNOSIS
 Schizophrenia typically results in a decreased life expectancy
by 12-15 years due to association with obesity, sedentary
lifestyles, and suicide 3 .
 16.7 million people around the globe are deemed to have
moderate to severe disability from the condition 4 .
 Most people with schizophrenia can live independently with
the support of family and community members.
NOTABLE PEOPLE WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA
 John Nash
 Mathematician who made major advances in multiple fields. Awarded
the Nobel Prize in 1994
 Tom Harrell
 Musician and composer who was a notable figure in the jazz world.
Composed over 24 albums.
 Elyn Saks
 Law expert who focuses on mental health law. Saks kept her illness
under cover until she announced her suffering in her 2007 memoir.
RESOURCES
 Mental Health Association of Southwest Ohio
 http://www.mhaswoh.org/
 International Schizophrenia Foundation
 http://www.orthomed.org/isf/isf.html
 Jani Foundation
 http://www.janifoundation.org/
Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services
 http://www.gcbhs.com/resources_sch.php
WORKS CITED
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