Childhood psychosis

Childhood psychosis is a psychiatric disorder that involves disturbed thinking and poor reality testing. Psychosis in children is manifest by delusional thinking and hallucinations (i.e., auditory, visual, and tactile). It is considered rare in children younger than 6 years of age. Psychotic disorders are often associated with schizophrenia; however, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition, Text Revision (American Psychiatric Association, 2000) lists several disorders in which psychotic processes can be observed (e.g., schizophrenia, major depression, bipolar illness, posttraumatic stress disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder). Prevalence rates are unclear for psychotic disorders beginning before the age of 12 however, childhood schizophrenia is estimated to occur in approximately .01 to .05 per 1,000 children. With increasing age, the rate is much higher.


 


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