As a parent, it’s in your best interest to understand your child’s mental health. With that, you may wonder what the early signs of schizophrenia are.

Admittedly, it’s rare for a child to be diagnosed with schizophrenia. Most diagnoses occur in late teens or early adulthood. Still, a child can start developing symptoms.

What is Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a mental health condition that redefines your ability to perceive reality. While the condition affects everyone differently, it’s marked by two sets of symptoms:

Psychotic Symptoms

Changes the way you think, process, and behave. Psychotic symptoms are the obvious signs of this condition and include: ¹

• Delusions
• Disorganized thoughts
• Hallucinations
• Repeated irregular body movements

Negative Symptoms

Impact your overall mood and well-being. Negative symptoms have a deep impact on your emotions and will affect how you present yourself. These can include: ²

• Decreased energy and follow-through
• Inability to take pleasure in activities that once brought joy or excitement
• Flat expression (i.e. facial reactions, tone of voice, or body language)
• Social isolation

Early Signs of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia symptoms appear differently depending on your age. Therefore, you need to know how different age groups present this disorder. To help clarify, we’ve divided the signs as follows:

In Young Children

It’s rare for schizophrenia to develop in young children. In fact, most signs will not be apparent until early adolescence.

Still, schizophrenia is a genetic condition. Therefore, in family members with the condition, they may notice early signs in children. These signs may include: ³

• Complications in speech (i.e. disorganized or bizarre patterns)
• Confusing reality with fiction stories, dreams, or ideas
• Difficulty with socialization (i.e. forming friendships)
• Disorganized thoughts or problems with rationalization
• Flat emotions (especially with sadness, anger, and frustration)
• Sleep and diet complications

In Teens

It’s much more common for schizophrenia to appear in adolescence. Researchers believe that the onset of puberty leads to the onset of schizophrenic symptoms. More specifically, hormone increases and changes in neurological structure result in these behavioral adjustments.

Common signs of schizophrenia in adolescents include: ⁴

• Delusions
• Depressive symptoms
• Extremely disorganized and abnormal motor movements and reactions
• Hallucinations

In Young Adults

Schizophrenia becomes even more prevalent in early adulthood, with most people receiving a diagnosis in their early to mid-20s. ⁵ Most researchers agree this consistent onset has to do with rapid brain structural changes. ⁶

The signs of schizophrenia in this age group replicate those of adolescence. However, they may come with heavier repercussions due to the responsibilities of these ages. In other words, young adults with schizophrenia may struggle to attend classes, go to work, or develop relationships.

On top of that, young adults may participate in risky behaviors to cope with schizophrenia symptoms. For example, one study found that people with schizophrenia are 50% more likely to abuse substances. ⁷

As a result, young adults with schizophrenia are also 5% to 13% more likely to participate in self-harm behavior. In extreme cases, this can lead to suicidal ideation. ⁸

If you or someone you love struggles with suicidal thoughts, help is available. In cases of emergency, contact 911. In all other cases, you can reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

In Older Adults

In some cases, schizophrenia may not present symptoms until someone is in their late 30s to elderly years. Still, these cases are rare. When they occur, it usually has to do with restricted socialization or the onset of another illness. ⁹ These conditions include: ¹⁰

• Alzheimer’s disease
• Clinical depression
• Dementia

In older adults, delusions, hallucinations, and erratic behaviors are less severe. On top of that, schizophrenia medication may cause more side effects. Therefore, treatment may be performed differently with close monitoring. ¹¹

Complications in Schizophrenia Diagnosis

It can be difficult to diagnose schizophrenia, especially in young children. The condition shares symptoms with other mental health disorders and doctors may be keen to evaluate for those first. ¹²

For example, psychotic symptoms (i.e. disorganized speech) may be the result of another form of psychosis, such as schizoaffective disorder. Or, negative symptoms (i.e. depressive swings) may be the result of related conditions, such as bipolar disorder.

References

¹ Patel KR, Cherian J, Gohil K, Atkinson D. Schizophrenia: overview and treatment options. P T. 2014 Sep;39(9):638-45. PMID: 25210417; PMCID: PMC4159061.

² 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.

³ Kendhari J, Shankar R, Young-Walker L. A Review of Childhood-Onset Schizophrenia. Focus (Am Psychiatr Publ). 2016 Jul;14(3):328-332. doi: 10.1176/appi.focus.20160007. Epub 2016 Jul 8. PMID: 31975813; PMCID: PMC6526799.

⁴ Vita A, Barlati S, Bellomo A, Poli PF, Masi G, Nobili L, Serafini G, Zuddas A, Vicari S. Patterns of Care for Adolescent With Schizophrenia: A Delphi-Based Consensus Study. Front Psychiatry. 2022 Mar 30;13:844098. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.844098. PMID: 35432022; PMCID: PMC9007083.

⁵ Gogtay N, Vyas NS, Testa R, Wood SJ, Pantelis C. Age of onset of schizophrenia: perspectives from structural neuroimaging studies. Schizophr Bull. 2011 May;37(3):504-13. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbr030. PMID: 21505117; PMCID: PMC3080674.

⁶ Remschmidt H, Theisen F. Early-onset schizophrenia. Neuropsychobiology. 2012;66(1):63-9. doi: 10.1159/000338548. Epub 2012 Jul 13. PMID: 22797279.

⁷ Winklbaur B, Ebner N, Sachs G, Thau K, Fischer G. Substance abuse in patients with schizophrenia. Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2006;8(1):37-43. doi: 10.31887/DCNS.2006.8.1/bwinklbaur. PMID: 16640112; PMCID: PMC3181760.

⁸ Palmer BA, Pankratz VS, Bostwick JM. The lifetime risk of suicide in schizophrenia: a reexamination. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2005 Mar;62(3):247-53. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.62.3.247. PMID: 15753237.

⁹ Folsom DP, Lebowitz BD, Lindamer LA, Palmer BW, Patterson TL, Jeste DV. Schizophrenia in late life: emerging issues. Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2006;8(1):45-52. doi: 10.31887/DCNS.2006.8.1/dfolsom. PMID: 16640113; PMCID: PMC3181756.

¹⁰ Byers AL, Yaffe K. Depression and risk of developing dementia. Nat Rev Neurol. 2011 May 3;7(6):323-31. doi: 10.1038/nrneurol.2011.60. PMID: 21537355; PMCID: PMC3327554.

¹¹ Jeste DV, Maglione JE. Treating older adults with schizophrenia: challenges and opportunities. Schizophr Bull. 2013 Sep;39(5):966-8. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbt043. Epub 2013 Apr 3. PMID: 23552180; PMCID: PMC3756792.

¹² Orsolini L, Pompili S, Volpe U. Schizophrenia: A Narrative Review of Etiopathogenetic, Diagnostic and Treatment Aspects. J Clin Med. 2022 Aug 27;11(17):5040. doi: 10.3390/jcm11175040. PMID: 36078967; PMCID: PMC9457502.