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Childhood Romanian orphan diagnosed and medicated for schizophrenia

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shimmerz

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I have a friend who is a teacher. She chats with at times about children who she feels have some trauma stuff going on. We spoke yesterday and what she told me really disturbed me.

A fellow teacher adopted a child from Romania at 2 years old. The child is now 7. The doctors have recently diagnosed her with schizophrenia. They are dosing her with Abilify. This really hurts my heart.

Any thoughts on this anyone? Do you think a child can have schizophrenia at 7 years old? I could really use some help with this one. I think I may be too close to it to see it clearly.
 
Any thoughts on this anyone?
I’m thinking that on the surface of it, someone who specializes in working with children has sought comprehensive medical care & treatment for their child. That sounds like a good thing.

Specifically focusing on abilify... this is one of the few psychiatric drugs that is considered safe enough for pediatrics, and of pediatric meds -esp antipsychotics / atypical antipsychotics- it has one of the lowest instances of & some of the mildest sets side effects both short & long term. It’s widely used with both autistic & bipolar children, in addition to the far more rare dx of schizophrenia. So as well as seeking help for their child, it sounds like their doctors are going the very slow / safe route in regards to their treatment. Again, that sounds like a good thing.
 
Here's another side to the coin....
I knew a teenager and her family through the church I attended who was treated for schizophrenia from an early age. It wasn't until she was an adult that a new psychiatrist diagnosed her with DID and said she never had schizophrenia as a child, and that it was a misdiagnosis by a child psychiatrist.
 
I know that schizophrenia is possible to develop in young children, however rare.

I would think that it would be a good idea for the child to be monitored regularly for changes in behaviour and med adjustment, as the child's brain develops further.
Periodic re-assesment at growth intervals, probably wouldn't be a terrible idea either.

Though I say this purely from my opinion of "common sense".
I seriously doubt I'm even qualified to be a layman, when it comes to pediatric psychiatry.
In other words, what I don't know could fill a warehouse on this subject.
 
It wasn't until she was an adult that a new psychiatrist diagnosed her with DID and said she never had schizophrenia as a child, and that it was a misdiagnosis by a child psychiatrist.
Yes, this is similar to what happened to myself. Diagnosed as schizo-affective as a kid, it was revised to DID as an adult.
I have always been annoyed at being drugged with anti-psychotics, instead of being treated. Who knows the damage those drugs do to a tender, developing brain & body?

@shimmerz, yes, you may be too close or emotionally invested, but you also have the unique opportunity to offer to your teacher-friend a new perspective.
 
It's not just females that neuroleptics cause an increase in prolactin in.

There's an inverse relationship between prolactin and dopamine. Anything that reduces dopamine, increases prolactin.

All neuroleptics do this. It depends on the individual whether they end up producing milk. Some females don't, and some males do produce milk.

@shimmerz, can you enquire about the process of reaching that diagnosis? How many opinions and what sorts of observations and assessments went into it?

Diagnosis is far from being an exact science. In the past, the American definition of schizophrenia was found to be about five times broader than it was any where else in the world.

That was discovered by practitioners from various countries, diagnosing the same sample of people. It illustrates how differently people who are supposed to be singing from the same hymn sheet, can interpret what's infront of them.

Add to that, some practitioners don't believe that dissociation and dissociative parts exist. Sorry, I know that you are painfully aware of that!

You and I are both deeply sceptical about the diagnostic priesthood and their ceremonial chemistry. I'm guessing that your friend is as well, for her to have asked for your opinion.

It may be that the child's adoptive parents are more likely to accept the divinations at face value.

I wish I could believe in a hell. Ceacescu (the Romanian communist era dictator, with a taste for massive palaces and delusions of a dynasty, half of the couple that was offed by their own communist party leadership ...
He deserves to burn brightly for all of eternity

I don't believe in a hell.
 
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