Schizophrenia in the child: signs and symptoms. Methods of treatment and diagnostics

Schizophrenia is called an unhealthy state of mind. It is a disease that can appear in childhood.

Schizophrenia. Characteristics

With this disease, the child may experience hallucinations, disappear emotionality, joy. Also the kid can escape into himself. Weakening of mental activity also happens. Physically, the patient may experience chaotic movements and other unhealthy manifestations.

In fact, schizophrenia has the same symptoms both in children and adults. But the difference is that the child has not yet received an education and his brain develops. Children have more difficulty in diagnosing.

This disease requires constant monitoring throughout life. Therefore, an important point is early diagnosis and the adoption of appropriate treatment measures.

First signs

To determine that there is schizophrenia in a child, you need to pay attention to the first signs of the disease.

If the child is unhealthy, first of all, he will have developmental disabilities. Namely, speech and walking delay. These signs can also be an indicator of other diseases of the baby, for example, autism. Therefore, it is necessary to make a thorough diagnosis of the child's condition and make an accurate diagnosis. It may be necessary to get advice from several specialists.

Manifestation of a disease

How does schizophrenia develop in children? In adolescence, the symptoms of the disease are much more difficult to detect. This is due to the fact that children in this period have an unstable hormonal background, they are already behaving inadequately. Therefore, a bad mood, depression can be attributed to the fact that the child has a transition period. It is worth saying that these symptoms of schizophrenia are peculiar to an adult person. If you notice a teenager deteriorating school, isolation from friends, then you should show increased attention to the child and make an appointment with a doctor.

What are the signs of schizophrenia in children? What should I look for?

1. First, schizophrenia in a child is manifested through hallucinations. A person who is sick, hears sounds that are not, and sees things that do not exist in reality.
2. The second sign that schizophrenia is present in the child is any belief. For example, a patient may think that someone is following him. Or he believes that he has some peculiarities that elevate him above everyone. Also, a person can decide that something is wrong with him physically. The options can be a great many, they all relate to delirium.
3. Violation of speech. Ill people have incoherent speech. For example, if a patient is asked a question, he will answer it partially or not completely.
4. Violation of movements. Movement can be chaotic, directed in any direction. Or, for example, a person can take strange postures.
5. There are also a number of symptoms that are problematic for the perception of others. For example, a person can stop watching himself or speak with one intonation, walk all the time with one expression and so on. Often, schizophrenia in a child manifests itself in withdrawal.

The difficulty lies in the fact that at the initial stage of the disease the above signs are not very pronounced. Therefore, it is difficult for parents to notice them from their child. It is found that the nature of the child itself is restless. Therefore, it is very difficult to recognize the signs of schizophrenia. Then the disease develops, and the symptoms intensify. At a stage when a child has lost contact with reality, he must be urgently hospitalized.

In what case should I see a doctor?

Now it is clear what is schizophrenia in children, the symptoms we briefly described. And now we will tell you in which case you need to see a doctor.

As a rule, it is difficult for parents to determine that their child is ill. In addition, I always want to believe in the best. Therefore, it is difficult for many parents to accept that a child suffers from a mental illness. However, it should be said that the earlier treatment begins, the greater the likelihood that the human condition will stabilize for a long time. Teachers at school can tell their parents that they should contact a specialist. It is recommended not to neglect their opinion, but to listen to the advice of people around your child.

You should go to a specialist if the following signs are seen in the child:

1. Deceleration in development compared with peers.
2. Deterioration in everyday affairs, such as washing, cleaning things and other household activities.
3. If the child is less likely to communicate with friends and relatives.
4. Bad grades in school.
5. There were inadequate gestures or mahi hands, for example, during lunch or dinner.
6. Different from other children behavior in the team. For example, a child refuses to play with everyone, is on the sidelines, shows inadequate reaction to any things.
7. A child diagnosed with schizophrenia has any fears or strange thoughts.
8. Aggression, cruelty, anger towards others or some things.

It should be noted that the above signs are not necessarily indicative of the fact that the child has such a disease as schizophrenia. These symptoms can be associated with depression, bad mood, adaptation to a new environment, and even be a sign of an infectious or catarrhal disease. But in any case, do not delay and see the doctor as soon as possible.

Causes of the disease

We talked about how schizophrenia manifests in children, the symptoms and signs of the disease are described in detail. Now consider the causes of the disease in children.

It should be said that the reasons are the same for an adult as well as for a child. It is not clear why some people begin to develop in the adult state, and others in the childhood or adolescent period of life. The disease is associated with the work of the brain. This disease is written off for genetic heredity and the environment surrounding the person. The disease is diagnosed for many years, but the causes of the occurrence are not exactly defined.

Factors

However, there are several characteristics that can trigger this disease:

1. Relatives who suffer from this disease.
2. Bearing of the child after 35 years. There is a statistic that makes it known that the children of women who have given birth after the age of 35 are more likely to be schizophrenic. The older the mother, the more likely that her baby will get sick with this ailment.
3. Unfavorable environment. For example, any stresses, scandals of parents or other negative situation, which can affect the psyche of the baby.
4. If the father of the child is in old age, it can also become a development of the disease in the child.
5. Reception of psychotropic drugs and bad habits of a teenager. These factors contribute to the emergence of mental illness.

Usually, signs of schizophrenia appear during adolescence and are aggravated by the age of 30. Disease in small children is extremely rare.

Complications

We examined all the signs of schizophrenia in children, the behavior of the patients we described. Now you should consider the complications of the disease.

It happens that the diagnosis of schizophrenia was not carried out at an early stage. In this situation, the disease can occur complications. They are the same in both children and adults. First, a child with schizophrenia can not go to school. This is due to the inability to learn. Secondly, a person can not carry out activities related to personal hygiene. Thirdly, a person becomes withdrawn, he does not communicate with anyone. He has thoughts of suicide.

He can also hurt himself, cause some kind of injury. Further, the patient has various fears or experiences, he may feel that he is being persecuted. During this period, he begins to drink alcohol, smoke, take increased doses of drugs. Against this backdrop, aggression manifests itself, at home conflicts and so on begin.

Diagnosis of schizophrenia

First of all, when you go to a medical institution, the doctor will conduct an examination and a conversation. Perhaps he will want to know about school performance or see how the child studied earlier and what grades he has now.

The next stage of the examination is the delivery of blood tests. This must be done to exclude other diseases, due to which the child can be in this state. For example, a blood test will show if there is a presence of alcohol or drugs in it.

In addition, it is possible to diagnose the brain by computer research.

In addition to physiological examination of the body, the doctor will necessarily hold a conversation with the child in order to find out if he has any phobias, strange thoughts and other signs of mental illness. Also, the doctor assesses the appearance of the patient, his neatness.

It should be noted that the process of diagnosing a child takes a long time. In some cases, up to six months, since the doctor faces a difficult task - to exclude other diseases with similar symptoms. But during the diagnosis the psychiatrist can prescribe medications that will help stabilize the child's condition. For example, in cases where he harms himself or exhibits aggression.

Treatment

The process of treatment will occur continuously, throughout the life of a person. Schizophrenia is treated with special medications. Also in the process should be members of the family, society. Probably, hospitalization is required.
Children are prescribed the same medications as adults. These are antipsychotic drugs. These medications help to eliminate such symptoms as delusions, hallucinations and loss of emotions. Results from taking these medications appear in a few weeks. The essence of the therapy is to make the dosage of the drugs lower and at the same time to maintain the person in a normal state.

These drugs have various side effects. Particular care must be taken to monitor the condition of the child who takes these medications. The situation is aggravated by the fact that a small child can not tell about his feelings when taking medication. Therefore, for any disorder of the body against the background of taking these medications, you should immediately consult a doctor. Perhaps he will change the dosage or prescribe another drug.

Psychotherapeutic treatment

This type of treatment is very important. And he must necessarily enter into a complex therapy. The doctor should talk with the child and teach him how to cope with his condition. Such treatment will help to establish communication with friends and relatives, teach the child to cope with fears and so on. It is very important that the parents of children with schizophrenia take part in the treatment. It is necessary to render support to it, to adjust communication, to disassemble conflict situations. If the family members themselves can not do this, then they need to consult a doctor. Thanks to joint efforts, the condition of the patient will improve.

Conclusion

Now you know what a disease is. We examined the causes of the onset of the disease, signs and treatment options.