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Sweet_cheeks
Senior Contributor

Childhood schizophrenia

My 17 year old son has schizophrenia. He told me that he had psychotic breaks from the age of  9. He tearfully told me about it when he was 15 but I didn't know it had been going on this long after being told last night. I feel terrible. Is there anyone else out there who's child had schizophrenia so young.

He was such a happy popular kid and then he changed but is still the sweet boy I love.Home life has been very stressful. He has an autistic brother who has caused havoc but is now in housing. I also have bipolar 1 and epilepsy which was diagnosed a year after he was born. The guilt I feel is so overwhelming. I've been a drinker. I've neglected the kids at times. I just wanted them to be happy and carefree. It's so sad.

anyway does anyone know anything about childhood schizophrenia because I feel I caused it.

 

 

 

7 REPLIES 7

Re: Childhood schizophrenia

Hi @Sweet_cheeks,

It sounds like you've had a lot going on recently. I hear you when you say that your guilt is overwhelming, that can be such an horrible feeling. It's important to remember that you aren't alone and to make sure that you do have some supports in place for yourself.

I would recommend booking a call and reaching out to the SANE Peer support team here.

You can also book a call and reach out to SANE Australia's Counselling Support.

Im sure some other community members will be able to provide you with some support as well.

Take care Heart CalmingNature

Re: Childhood schizophrenia

I don't know much about child psychiatry @Sweet_cheeks  but even if children don't meet all of the diagnostic criteria in early life for a diagnosis of schizophrenia, they most definitely can reach some; hallucinations in children are not that uncommon.

 

The biological reason for them coming on is different for every one. It doesn't necessarily mean they have a psychotic disorder, trauma can bring them on too. 

 

There are many hypotheses out there on the root cause of schizophrenia, of course they are just hypotheses at the moment, but I thought I read about one that is believed to start in the womb.

 

I really hope that he responds to treatment and that his recovery time shortens with each episode. It really is a lottery how well we respond. I would recommend him also getting a clinical psychologist to deal with all this unfairness of life. Coming to terms with the loss of his health is not easy and people can become suicidal, especially once given the planets most stigmatised mental illness. I listened to an episode of ABC podcast 'All in The Mind' on post-partum psychosis......you can just tell that societal attitudes and people have a lot more sympathy for an illness like this compared to schizophrenia. 

 

If he experiences hallucinations he needs some sort of distraction. With the mental health landscape dominated by beyondblue like illnesses such as depression and anxiety the advice is geared to 'go inside' with meditation and stuff like that. But with psychosis you actually have to get out of your head. Go outside by using movement/other sensory activities or listening to a calming voice about someone else's life other than your own. 

 

Good Luck, Corny

Re: Childhood schizophrenia

Hello @Sweet_cheeks 

I'm really sorry to hear about your sadness and guilt about your son's illness.  I had the same questions of myself when our 17 yo was diagnosed with Schizophrenia and OCD last year.  I felt I had caused it, because I had terrible post natal depression after his younger brother was born and I wasn't coping, I was sometimes cruel, emotionally unavailable to him or unable to be rational/be the adult in the relationship.  

 

Our son had a diagnosis of severe generalised anxiety and panic disorder at 8yo.  He had some psychosis at the time, and his paediatrician thought the psychosis was in relation to extreme anxiety.  Looking back, I now wonder about that.  Our son said that he has had psychosis/schizophrenia all of his life.  Looking back I can certainly recall his separation anxiety at a very young age, and his intolerance of changes to routines etc.  I didn't realise that children could experience such severe mental ill health so young in the context of a very loving family, in which he was encouraged, supported, given all the resources he needed to thrive.  I understood severe mental ill health in children who had experienced trauma, and the research I have read links psychosis to early trauma, but that wasn't the case for our son.  

 

I asked my son's psychiatrist if my own mentall illness had created or caused our son's mental illness.  He assured me that I hadn't caused our son's illness, and that there were likely to be very strong genetic factors involved.  I accepted this as my oldest step daughter, who shares the same paternal genes with our son, also had psychosis/disordered eating/OCD in her teens - I didn't raise her or parent her, so I know I didn't cause her ill health.  

 

As parents we want our children to be happy, to avoid the challenges or difficulties we had in life, but we can't protect them from difficulties, and I would say for myself, that my challenges and difficulties made me and formed me, and without them I would not be who I am.  We are open as a family about the presence of mental ill health in the family.  On my side, clinical depression is rife, as is schizophrenia in some of my father's younger 1/2 siblings and their offspring (so I'm not sure if the genes there come from a different paternal link to my father's), and on my husband's side, there's been OCD, psychosis, depression, anxiety.  Heck, how did we ever think our children would dodge that kind of genetic heritage?  Despite mental ill health in our family, on both sides, life is still very good.  We have a lot of love, a lot of laughs, we enjoy life, we are curious and seek new experiences, and refuse to be defined by a label.  Our 17 yo is working as an apprentice, he has a girlfriend.  He says that he wouldn't change having schizophrenia and OCD because it helps him to understand others, and to have insight.  I feel so proud of his perspective, and I know that as a family, not being ashamed of labels or letting ourselves be defined by them has helped our son to accept and own his own story.  

 

So I hope you will also see @Sweet_cheeks that it is highly unlikely that anything you did, or did not do, has lead to your son experiencing psychosis at such a young age.  I also hope that you and your son hold hope for recovery, for still having a good life and expereincing joy despite the challenges that life throws at you, and that you are able to assemble a supportive team of clinicians for your son and yourself.  You've carried a heavy load for a long time, parenting a child with autism brings unique challenges, and sometimes leaves little energy for yourself or your other children.  I hope you and your son can take some time to heal, to recover, now that your child with autism doesn't require your constant support.  We do our best with what we've got, hey?  It sounds like you have been doing an amazing job of parenting your children, and your love for them is evident. 

 

All the best

Tinker

Re: Childhood schizophrenia

Hi @Sweet_cheeks  My girl was first diagnosed with schizophrenia at 17 which led me to wonder how long she had been suffering this illness before her first hospitalisation. Was it my fault? What did I miss? What signs did I not see? So many "what if's"? She is now 27 and it has taken me that long to let all those "what if's" go because none of that makes any difference now. What's done is done and beating myself up doesn't and will not help her now. The love and support you give now is what counts and it appears you have plenty of both for your son. Moment by loving moment. Hoping you and your son receive the help and care needed on this journey with better days ahead. 

Re: Childhood schizophrenia

Nice post my love

sensitive and kind and caring 

I got a lot from this Thankyou from you Clawde 😍

@Krishna @Sweet_cheeks @Tinker67 @Corny @CalmingNature 

 

 

 

 

Re: Childhood schizophrenia

@Clawde ❤️🙏

Re: Childhood schizophrenia

hello @Mumslove Heart

come and meet some awesome members @Krishna@Sweet_cheeks@Clawde@Tinker67@Corny@Libra@greenpea 

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