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Teenage Schizophrenia

A World of Their Own

By Carma Haley Shoemaker

Teens with schizophrenia may exhibit behavior changes slowly, over time. Children who were once active in sports, socially active with friends or with family may begin to withdraw and become shy or secluded. Often teens will begin discussing strange situations they feel they were a part of, but that never really occurred, or they may regress into childish behaviors and become dependent upon their parents. They may be "clingy" or fearful of people, animals or objects.

Teens who exhibit the early warning signs should be evaluated so an individualized treatment plan can be developed which may include individual therapy, family therapy, social skill training, psychiatric medication and monitoring. Parents who feel their child fits the screening criteria, or who have a family history of schizophrenia, should discuss the possibility and request a referral to a child and adolescent psychiatrist who is trained and specializes in evaluating, diagnosing and treating teens with schizophrenia.

The timing and method of treatment can largely influence the response and outcome. "Early treatment appears to be the best indicator of treatment response," Scheffer says. "The longer someone is psychotic hallucinating, paranoid, delusional, disorganized in thoughts, speech or behavior or having negative symptoms such as social withdrawal the harder the psychosis is to treat and the longer it takes for them to get better. Early medical attention often leads to a better outcome."

While there is no cure, those afflicted with schizophrenia can with proper care gain control over their symptoms.