Although schizophrenia is often thought of as an adolescent- or adult-onset
disorder, there has been an increasing awareness over 90 years that
schizophrenia can present in 6-12 year olds. There has been less focus on
schizophrenia in children under the age of 6. We report here on two children
diagnosed, at 4.25 and 5.92 years, with schizophrenia. Retrospectively, both
children had psychotic symptoms documented during mental health evaluations
prior to their fourth birthday. Both children had at least partial symptom
reduction on antipsychotic medication, but both children were also highly
sensitive to the side effects of treatment. Discussion focuses primarily on
diagnostic issues, and provides some observations about treatment responsiveness.
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