What is childhood-onset schizophrenia? How is it different from adult schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia affects children much less frequently than it does adults; about 1 in every 40,000 children is diagnosed, as opposed to 1 in every 100 adults. In general, the earlier a diagnosis is made, the more severe the disorder tends to be. Managing schizophrenia in children can also be more difficult, although there are many new antipsychotic medications that are proving to be helpful. The official symptoms are the same as those for adult schizophrenia (see Childhood-Onset Schizophrenia: Diagnosis). The symptoms in children can overlap quite a bit with the common symptoms to pediatric bi-polar disorder, autism, or Asperger’s syndrome. For more general information, see the Schizophrenia.com childhood-onset page,, the NMHA childhood-onset factsheet, or a formal write-up of Early Onset Psychosis (separate write-ups for autism, schizophrenia, and schizoaffective disorder).
