How common is psychosis in children?
The number of children suffering from a psychotic disorder is very difficult to determine. Psychosis in children may be mistaken for many other things, including a disorder of hyperactivity with attention deficit (ADHD), autism or even normal phases of development. It is believed that most disorders, especially schizophrenia and bipolar disorders, usually begin in adulthood. Although the onset of the child's onset of these conditions is recognized, it is assumed that this is a relatively rare event, although many children are probably incorrectly diagnosed or diagnosed at all.
It was once believed that psychosis in children was very rare. The treatment is primarily adapted to adult patients, although it is acknowledged that the number of cases diagnosed in young children and adolescents is growing. In fact, it is assumed that up to seven percent of all children treated in a psychiatric hospital have a psychotic disorder. Bipolar disorder is the most common, although it is known that children suffer from schizophrenia and other disorders.
Many cases of psychosis in children are incorrectly diagnosed as ADHD or autism, because children suffering from mental disorders often show many of the same symptoms. Other children may not be diagnosed at all, because during childhood it is common for children to show behavior that would not be appropriate in adults. The diagnosis is sometimes not produced until the child grows out of such behavior. For example, a child who speaks to imaginary people can be considered normal, although it is sometimes a sign of schizophrenia.
There is a main difference in the illusions created by a normal child and hallucination, which is experienced by the one who is schizophrenic. A healthy child controls their images, develops their personalities, and imaginary friends do only what they want to do. Those from a schizophrenic child are controlled outside Hije and can even tell him to do things he doesn't want to do.
Psychosis in children, however, is relatively unusual, even in poor DIgnostic and insufficiently diagnosed children in which it is proven. The average age for the onset of symptoms is usually late adolescents after the beginning of the thirties, depending on the failure. However, children may soon show some strange behavior that can later escalate in life. Whether the warning signals can be recorded and then treated with early interventions is not fully understood.
Parents should remember to listen to their children. Although it seems that a particular symptom is normal, if the child seems unpleasant or upset, he should talk to someone. Mood values, irritability and sleep problems are a normal part of adolescence. However, when they become an excessive or disturbing child, further evaluation is needed.