Early Onset Schizophrenia Case Study

Every child in the study reported auditory hallucinations, which seems to be the main hallucination surrounding childhood Schizophrenia. These hallucinations were usually some sort of command, given to them by a wide range of sources, such as animals, people they actually know, fictional characters, malevolent forces, or people they have made up. Visual hallucinations were less prominent than auditory hallucinations, but still apparent in over 50 percent of the children. Tactile hallucinations were reported in only 25 percent of the children. These hallucinations were comparable to those that young adults with Schizophrenia experience, but were much less complex and only lasted between one week and one and a half years.

Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness that usually shows up in adolescence or young adulthood but can be seen in children as young as eight years old. It is a long term mental disorder characterized by a faulty perception of reality, inappropriate actions and feelings, withdrawal from relationships into fantasy and delusion, and a sense of mental fragmentation. It typically involves the breakdown of a person’s relationship between thought, emotion, and behavior. Currently, there are five subtypes of schizophrenia included in the DSM-5; paranoid, disorganized, catatonic, undifferentiated, and residual. Each subtype is characterized by their most prominent symptom. For instance, paranoid schizophrenia is a subtype in which a person experiences

According to NAMI (), schizophrenia is a long term mental illness that interferes with a person’s ability to think clearly, make decisions, and relate to others, impairing a person from functioning to their full potential when left untreated. For these persons affected, it is many times difficult to distinguish what is real from what is not. “Unfortunately, no single simple course of treatment exists.” Research has linked schizophrenia to a multitude of possible causes” (NAMI).

Children with a first episode of psychosis, typically before 18 years of age, are diagnosed with early-onset schizophrenia (EOS). Compared to adult-onset schizophrenia (AOS) the disorder is associated with increased severity of symptoms, specifically of the negative subtype, and poorer outcome. Due to the extreme rarity of EOS, the current research is still in its initial stages and is often times based on findings in research that focuses on AOS. However, researchers have revealed valuable information that serve as a foundation for a more complete understanding of EOS that will aid in providing increased efficacy in treatment approaches. Future research should attempt to maintain consistency with other experiments’ inclusivity of

One of the most debilitating, devastating, and incurable mental disorders is one that is plagued by severely abnormal functions, disturbed behaviors and the likelihood to seriously diminish nearly all functionality of life—this disorder is known as schizophrenia. While extremely rare, schizophrenia can develop in childhood, sometimes as young as two to four years. This is referred to as childhood-onset schizophrenia (COS). “Childhood-onset schizophrenia is a severe form of psychotic disorder that occurs at age 12 years or younger and is often chronic and persistently debilitating” (DSM-5). By a vast number of psychologists and other medical professionals, it is believed to be just as virulent and malicious as adolescent and adult schizophrenia. The DSM-5 criteria for child-onset schizophrenia requires at least two of the following five symptoms to be present for no less than a month, and at least one of these must be (1), (2), or (3): (1) delusions, (2) hallucinations, (3) disorganized speech, (4) grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior, and (5) negative symptoms. Other criteria must include: a significantly lower level of functioning in other areas, such as work, interpersonal relations or self-care; the persistence of signs of disturbance for at least 6 months, including at least 1 month of symptoms that meet one of the five symptoms; the ruling out of schizoaffective disorder and depressive or bipolar disorder; and the exclusion of substance abuse or another medical

Supporters of change have impacted suppliers and policymakers who serve patients with co-occurring disorders. It now is by, and large recognized that these patients have needed to explore divided frameworks and that they have gotten treatment that is less open and less compelling than the medical services framework can convey. For quite some time the presence of a co-occurring disorder diagnosis has been ignored, overlooked or misdiagnosed, health care providers and policymakers now perceive that these conditions are prevalent and that the dominant part of patients with substance abuse issues doubtlessly has a co-occurring disorder.

Let us discuss and dive into the study of a disease called schizophrenia. We will be taking a look at its symptoms, its causes, the areas of the brain it affects, its neural basis, and the appropriate drug therapies for the disease. Having an informed understanding of the disease and what it entails is crucial to making sure patients that suffer from schizophrenia receive the proper treatment and care from their psychiatrists. Afterwards, we will also be looking at a couple of case studies involving anxiety and drug abuse. As for now, our focus will be on the terrible disease of schizophrenia.

What is schizophrenia? “Schizo” meaning split, and “phrenia” meaning mind. Schizophrenia is a disorder of the brain that has affected many individuals throughout history. Usually starting in childhood or early adulthood, it is rare for schizophrenia to start after one has reached adulthood. Before schizophrenia was discovered, those with the disorder were considered to be possessed, therefore causing them to be feared or locked up away from those that did not have the disorder. Schizophrenia is chronic and severe, and it affects those diagnosed with it strongly to the point where they cannot function in the real world. They have social issues, hear voices and things that others cannot hear, and feel like others are out to hurt them.

There are numerous interventions for the management of symptoms of schizophrenia. Emphasis is placed on early intervention as the recurrence of psychosis results in diminished cognitive functioning and severely impacts quality of life and functioning (Galletly et al., 2016). However, emerging evidence has shown that the acute presentation of schizophrenia can be delayed and potentially averted altogether (Galletly et al., 2016). Regardless of treatment phase, schizophrenia intervention is designed to mitigate system clusters as early as possible.

Childhood schizophrenia is a rare disease and it has become a big mystery in today’s medicine, bringing up several challenges. There are few official diagnoses of children with this disorder, and the case of January Schofield is one of the most studied ones. It is in essence the same as adult schizophrenia, but it appears early in life with a huge impact on child’s development. The identification of the symptoms and causes is vital, for the prevention and control, as well as following the right treatment. This complex disease requires a lifelong treatment, and doing this as soon as possible may significantly improve the individual’s quality life. The early

Schizophrenia is a mental illness which affects millions of people throughout the world. Scientists have begun to understand more and more about the possible causes, predisposing factors, types, and possible treatments for schizophrenia. (Torrey, 1995) It is very rare for schizophrenic symptoms to appear before the age of 12 but it does occur. Recently, there has been a growing interest in childhood schizophrenia. It is less than one-sixtieth as common as the adult-onset type but the characteristics are very similar. Childhood schizophrenia also tends to be harder to treat and to have a worse prognosis than the adult-onset form. (Rapoport, 1997)

Schizophrenia is a life-long disorder that affects about one percent of the population (Mueser & McGurk, 2004). The cause of this mental illness is still unclear. Studies have suggested that Schizophrenia does not arise from one factor but from a combination of genetic, environmental, and social factors (Liddle, 1987). People diagnosed with Schizophrenia struggle to deal with a multitude of symptoms that make it difficult to function (Mueser & McGurk, 2004). Antipsychotic medications are a popular treatment of the symptoms of Schizophrenia (Mueser & McGurk, 2004). Research is constantly being done to develop these medications to enhance the quality of life of those diagnosed with Schizophrenia.

Resources to help January, and cases similar to hers, are very limited due to the fact that childhood-onset schizophrenia is extremely rare. January’s parents struggled with their insurance company to find treatment for their daughter’s condition and a hospital to help her throughout her episodes. In order to help January and to protect their younger son, the

Schizophrenia is a well-known disease in the mental health field. Many people are familiar with how they can link the disease to other mental health issues. First and foremost finding out the correct diagnosis is the most important thing. Seeking help is the first step to maintaining stability with this disease. Living with schizophrenia could be very difficult and patients may have trouble coping. Healthcare workers have different ways to assist children and their families so that they are comfortably aware of the disease and expectations.

Schizophrenia is a form of psychosis, which are mental illnesses that are characterized as unusual behaviors exhibited as out of touch with reality. Schizophrenia is characterized by positive symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thoughts or speech, and catatonic behavior. While negative symptoms range from cognitive deficits to restricted emotional affect. According to the Harvard Mental Health Letter (2009), there are five stages of progression of schizophrenia: premorbid, prodromal, psychotic, transitional, and chronic. Early on-set schizophrenia develops in children who experience odd or unusual auditory hallucinations and olfactory delusions in the prodromal stage. It is thought that schizophrenia is fully developed at the psychotic level, once an individual has reached their first psychotic episode. However researchers suggest looking into the prodromal stage through assessment and diagnosis to learn more about the etiologies of schizophrenia, and therefore contribute further research into preventative methods. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, childhood-onset schizophrenia is a rare form of schizophrenia which has its onset before