Adolescent schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that we do not encounter very often. This disorder causes adolescents to experience thought (cognitive), behavioral and emotional problems, as well as difficulty interpreting the facts. The person exhibits hallucinations, delusions, and thoughts and behaviors that we consider strange.
The course and symptoms of the disorder are generally the same as adult schizophrenia. However, the diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia, which begins at an early age, is more difficult and is a disorder that directly affects a person's education and social life at an early age.
Schizophrenia is a chronic disorder and requires constant treatment. Diagnosis and treatment of the disorder at the earliest stage is very important in order to improve the person's quality of life in the long term.
Symptoms
Schizophrenia is a disorder that generally occurs in the 20s. . Although the disorder is very rare under the age of 13, it occurs very early, between the ages of 14-18. Symptoms do not usually appear all at once, they begin to develop over time.
Some of the symptoms seen in children over the age of 13:
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Moving away from family and friends
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Decreased school success, decreased interest in school
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Difficulty falling asleep
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Nervous, irritable, and depressed mood
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Lack of motivation
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Strange behavior
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Substance use
Delusions – false beliefs that contradict reality
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Believing that someone has harmed you
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Believing that certain signs (gestures), comments are related to him/her
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Believing that he/she has extraordinary talent or popularity
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Believing that a particular person is in love with him
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Believing that he is on the verge of some kind of tragedy
Hallucinations – hearing or seeing things that do not actually exist. The person fully believes in the reality of their hallucinations.
Dispersed Thoughts – scattered thoughts go hand in hand with one's scattered speech. is a relevant situation. The person cannot communicate effectively, some of the answers he gives may be irrelevant, sentences may contain meaningless words and a 'word confusion' occurs, which we call 'WORD SALAD'
Extremely disorganized or abnormal motor behavior – Person May exhibit inappropriate and strange behavior that does not comply with instructions.
Negative symptoms – decreased or absent ability to function normally
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Neglect of personal hygiene
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Lack of emotion
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Inability to make eye contact
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Lack of facial expression
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Monotone speech
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Inability to use hand or head movements while speaking
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Loss of interest in daily activities
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Social withdrawal
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Inability to experience pleasure
When to consult a physician?
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If there are developmental delays compared to siblings or peers
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If he/she avoids doing daily tasks such as bathing or dressing
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If he/she does not want to socialize
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If his academic performance has started to decline
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If he has strange eating rituals
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Feels excessive suspicion of others
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Exhibits emotions that are inappropriate for the situation
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Strange ideas and has fears
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If he confuses unreal things, dreams, or what he sees on TV with reality
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If he exhibits strange thoughts, behavior or speech
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If there is an urge to harm oneself or others, aggressive behavior and agitation
Suicidal tendencies
People with childhood and adolescence schizophrenia have much higher suicidal tendencies than the normal population. It is essential that this situation be kept under the control of the family and the psychiatrist.
Causes
Although it is not known exactly why the disorder develops, scientists believe it is related to the different functioning of depomine and glutamate neurotransmitters. They argue that it is.
Risk Factors:
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Having a family history of schizophrenia
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Overactive immune system - autoimmune disorders
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Father's high age
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Some complications of pregnancy or birth: malnutrition, exposure to toxins or viruses that can affect brain development
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Teenage use of psychoactive drugs
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