Childhood schizophrenia is almost identical to adulthood. The biggest difference is children run the risk of obtaining other developmental problems.

Schizophrenia affects your cognitive thinking, behavior, and emotional processes. This may result in hallucinations, delusions, and disordered thinking/conduct.

Since childhood schizophrenia is rare, it’s difficult for medical professionals to diagnose. Often, this condition is misdiagnosed for more common childhood mental illnesses, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ¹

However, if your child struggles with schizophrenia, it’s vital to find treatment as soon as possible. The earlier your child is treated, the more manageable their symptoms will be in adulthood

Childhood Schizophrenia Symptoms

Children and adults with schizophrenia have many of the same symptoms. The most common include: ²

• Delusions
• Disorganized speech
• Hallucinations
• Impaired functional ability

Most people are diagnosed with schizophrenia in their mid-to-late 20’s. However, in rare cases, some people will develop schizophrenia before the age of 18. In even rarer cases, some show signs younger than 13.

Since schizophrenia symptoms are inconsistent, it can be difficult to tell if your child has it. Sometimes, they occur for windows of time, usually worsening in specific moments. Other times, symptoms will always be present.

Early Schizophrenia Symptoms

The earliest signs and symptoms will appear as developmental problems. These include:

• Abnormal motor conduct (i.e. rocking or arm flapping)
• Language delays
• Late or unusual crawling
• Late walking

Childhood schizophrenia often goes misdiagnosed because these symptoms are associated with other conditions, such as developmental disorders. Due to its rarity, medical professionals will rule out other conditions before making a schizophrenia diagnosis.

Symptoms in Teenagers

Teenager schizophrenia looks to adulthood schizophrenia. However, it’s also rare for people of this age group to struggle with the condition. Not to mention, signs of psychosis often go unnoticed by parents.

If you’re a parent and concerned for your child, keep an eye out for the following signs: ³

• Difficulty sleeping
• Irritability or depressed moods
• Lack of motivation
• Lack of performance at school
• Substance use
• Unusual behavior
• Withdrawal from friends and family

Unlike adults, teens are less likely to experience delusions. However, they’re more likely to experience visual hallucinations.

Later Signs of Schizophrenia in Children

Most of the time, a child with schizophrenia won’t show signs of the condition until later in life. As your child ages, they may develop the following:

• Delusions – False beliefs that aren’t based on reality. Your child may think they have exceptional ability (sometimes for fame), that other people are in love with them (when they’re not), or that a major disaster will occur (when it won’t). ⁴

• Disorganized and Unusual Motor Behavior – This can appear in multiple manners, such as unforeseeable agitation or childish inappropriateness. A child with schizophrenia will participate in conduct that has no goal, making tasks more difficult to complete.

• Disorganized Thoughts – This can appear in disorganized speech. It involves trouble communicating with others or answering particular questions (usually, answers will be completely unrelated).

• Hallucinations – Unlike delusions, hallucinations are when a person sees and/or hears things that aren’t really there. This can be a difficult sign to pick up as people with schizophrenia often perceive these hallucinations as real. Most commonly, this involves hearing voices. ⁵

• Negative Symptoms – The inability to function normally. Negative symptoms appear differently in everyone. Some may not take care of their hygiene while others may show no emotion when necessary. Individuals may also not engage in activities that once interested them. ⁶

When to Seek Medical Attention

Since it’s so difficult to identify the symptoms of schizophrenia in children, it’s understandable if your child goes without medical attention for some time. However, there are ways to identify if your child needs to see a medical professional.

If other people mention your child’s behavior (especially, teachers and school staff), it’s worth seeking help. Other times you should seek medical attention include:

• When development is delayed compared to siblings and/or peers
• When your child is unable to meet standard expectations (i.e. bathing, dressing)
• When your child loses interest in socializing with friends and family
• When your child’s academic performance starts to slip
• When your child eats irregularly
• When your child reveals excessive suspicion in others
• When your child is unable to regulate emotions or reveals inappropriate emotions in certain situations
• When your child believes dream or television is reality
• When your child develops unusual ideas and/or fears
• When your child shows signs of unusual speech and/or behavior
• When your child has violent/aggressive conduct
• When your child develops suicidal ideation

Again, these don’t necessarily indicate your child has schizophrenia. They may be struggling with another disorder that has similar signs.

What Causes Childhood Schizophrenia?

The causes of schizophrenia are currently unknown, both in children and adults. Most researchers believe it has to do with a combination of genetics, development of brain chemistry, and environmental factors. ⁷

It’s also unclear why schizophrenia develops early in life for some and later for others. However, environmental factors may play a significant role in this.

Researchers have observed that schizophrenia creates an imbalance in certain neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and glutamate. Through neuroimaging, it’s also been discovered that there are different brain structures and central nervous system (CNS) activities in those with schizophrenia. ⁸

Risk Factors of Childhood Schizophrenia

If you’re led to believe your child has developed schizophrenia, you’ll want to keep in mind the following risk factors (sometimes referred to as “triggers”): ⁹

• Family history of schizophrenia
• Father of an older age
• Increased immune system activity (i.e. from inflammation)
• Pregnancy and birth complications (i.e. malnutrition, exposure to toxins, etc.)
• Use of drugs during teenage years (more particularly, psychoactive drugs like cannabis or LSD)

Complications of Childhood Schizophrenia

When schizophrenia is left untreated, it leads to severe behavioral, emotional, and health complications. Some that occur in childhood (or later in life) include:

• Aggressive behavior
• Anxiety disorders (i.e. panic disorder or social anxiety disorder)
• Being victimized
• Depression (major depressive disorder)
• Family conflicts
• Inability to live independently
• Legal and financial complications (i.e. homelessness)
• Medical problems
• Self-injury
• Social isolation
• Substance abuse disorder
• Suicidal ideation

Final Word

While schizophrenia is a tough condition to manage, early recognition and treatment can help to make symptoms less severe. Not to mention, it can curb psychotic episodes. If you believe your child is struggling with schizophrenia, we suggest consulting a medical professional before coming to your own conclusions.

References

¹ Gochman P, Miller R, Rapoport JL. Childhood-onset schizophrenia: the challenge of diagnosis. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2011 Oct;13(5):321-2. doi: 10.1007/s11920-011-0212-4. PMID: 21713647; PMCID: PMC3289250.

² Hany M, Rehman B, Azhar Y, Chapman J. Schizophrenia. 2023 Mar 20. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan–. PMID: 30969686.

³ Androutsos Ch. [Schizophrenia in children and adolescents: relevance and differentiation from adult schizophrenia]. Psychiatriki. 2012 Jun;23 Suppl 1:82-93. Greek, Modern. PMID: 22796977.

⁴ Kiran C, Chaudhury S. Understanding delusions. Ind Psychiatry J. 2009 Jan;18(1):3-18. doi: 10.4103/0972-6748.57851. PMID: 21234155; PMCID: PMC3016695.

⁵ Tang SW, Tang WH. Hallucinations: diagnosis, neurobiology and clinical management. Int Clin Psychopharmacol. 2020 Nov;35(6):293-299. doi: 10.1097/YIC.0000000000000313. PMID: 32324611.

⁶ Mosolov SN, Yaltonskaya PA. Primary and Secondary Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia. Front Psychiatry. 2022 Jan 3;12:766692. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.766692. PMID: 35046851; PMCID: PMC8761803.

⁷ Khan ZU, Martin-Montañez E, Muly EC. Schizophrenia: causes and treatments. Curr Pharm Des. 2013;19(36):6451-61. doi: 10.2174/1381612811319360006. PMID: 23432719.

⁸ Luvsannyam E, Jain MS, Pormento MKL, Siddiqui H, Balagtas ARA, Emuze BO, Poprawski T. Neurobiology of Schizophrenia: A Comprehensive Review. Cureus. 2022 Apr 8;14(4):e23959. doi: 10.7759/cureus.23959. PMID: 35541299; PMCID: PMC9080788.

⁹ Davis J, Eyre H, Jacka FN, Dodd S, Dean O, McEwen S, Debnath M, McGrath J, Maes M, Amminger P, McGorry PD, Pantelis C, Berk M. A review of vulnerability and risks for schizophrenia: Beyond the two hit hypothesis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2016 Jun;65:185-94. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.03.017. Epub 2016 Apr 9. PMID: 27073049; PMCID: PMC4876729.