Some parents are afraid of strangeness in the behavior of the child. And no wonder: schizophrenia is the most common mental disorder, which is characterized by a violation of the whole body activity (thinking, emotions, motor skills), irreversible personality change, the appearance of dementia. Although at the same time schizophrenia in children and adolescents is much less common than in adults. Most likely, this is due to the difficulty of diagnosing the disease in the early stages.
It is believed that the cause of brain changes is a combination of factors: hereditary predisposition, poor ecology and stress.
How does schizophrenia manifest in children?
The earliest manifestation of deviation are fears, because of which the child becomes suspicious and anxious. There are mood swings, passivity and lethargy. Active and sociable earlier, the child closes in himself, does not respond to requests, commits strange acts. The signs of schizophrenia in children also include:
- a delusional fantasy reflecting the fears and desires of the patient;
- social isolation: inactivity, coldness towards relatives, dislike for people, aggression and rage;
- visual and auditory hallucinations;
- incoherent speech and an illogical series of thoughts;
- inhibition of motor activity (stupor, immobility, swinging from side to side, convulsive movements), which is one of the features of schizophrenia in children.
In addition, in schizophrenia, the symptoms in children are deterioration in school performance and difficulties with daily household activities (washing, eating).
Treatment of schizophrenia in children
If the child's behavior worries parents, you should visit a child psychiatrist. For the diagnosis of schizophrenia in children, the presence of two of the above symptoms of the disease should be present within a month. However, the presence of only delusions or hallucinations will be sufficient.
Schizophrenia is a chronic condition, so treatment should be carried out throughout life. Therapy is mainly aimed at controlling symptoms with medications. Successful use of nootropic and neuroleptic agents (risperdal, aripiprazole, phenibut, sonapaks).
Children with mild symptoms of illness can attend a regular or specialized school. If the state of health worsens, the child will need hospitalization and treatment in the hospital.