Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
10163294 Pediatria Polska 2010 6 Pages PDF
Abstract
Childhood-onset schizophrenia is a severe form of the disorder that appears to be clinically and neurobiological continuous with the later onset illness. The causes of schizophrenia are not known, but it is increasingly considered a neurodevelopmental disorder. Both early (prenatal) and later abnormalities of brain development have been proposed. Onset of schizophrenia especially during childhood and early adolescence has often been associated with a more severe form of illness and poor outcome. Notwithstanding some uncertainty in diagnosing schizophrenia during childhood, reported especially in earlier studies, most studies have confirmed a worse outcome for schizophrenia diagnosed in childhood or early adolescence compared to other psychotic disorders. Abnormalities in language are central to psychosis, particularly the schizophrenic syndrome. Perhaps the most extreme and obvious manifestation of a language disorder in schizophrenia is the abnormal speech produced by some patients. This disturbance is heterogeneous and has traditionally been termed thought disorder. Positive thought disorder, with disorganized unintelligible speech, is a strong predictor of maladaptive social and vocational functioning.
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