There is an interesting new article on ABC.com, published yesterday in advance of 20/20's Friday broadcast on Schizophrenia in Children. The article and accompanying video detail the struggles of several families with young children who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Although childhood-onset schizophrenia is rare, it often is a very severe form of the illness that can interrupt the natural stages of child development and wreak havoc on family life.
The children profiled include Jani, a nine-year-old girl who has suffered from hallucinations since the age of 5; Rebecca, age 10, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia; and fifteen-year-old Brenna, whose disorder is currently being managed in a residential treatment facility. All three girls demonstrate violent tendencies, and their families have faced a variety of struggles as they have worked to address the symptoms of schizophrenia and keep the illness under control. While they have all seen improvement with extensive treatment (both with medication and other types of therapy), their overall prognoses are varied and uncertain.
This article and the accompanying videos are an interesting and difficult look at the challenges faced by families when a child has a serious mental illness. Read more at http://abcnews.go.com/Health/schizophrenia-children-families-grapple-cos...
