Psychosis Overview
Psychosis is a mental health condition that causes people to lose touch with reality. While it’s more commonly associated with adults, psychosis can also occur in children, though it’s much rarer. During a psychotic episode, children may experience hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren’t there) and delusions (false beliefs that are not based on reality). Childhood psychosis can be very distressing and disruptive, and it’s crucial to seek professional help if a child is showing signs of psychosis.
Signs & Symptoms
Recognizing psychosis in children can be challenging, as their experiences may be expressed differently than in adults. Some common signs and symptoms include:
- Auditory: Hearing voices or sounds that aren’t real. This is the most common type of hallucination in children.
- Visual: Seeing things that aren’t there.
- Tactile: Feeling sensations on the skin that aren’t real.
- Olfactory: Smelling odors that aren’t there.
- Gustatory: Tasting things that aren’t there.
- False beliefs that are not based on reality and are not part of the child’s culture.
- These beliefs can be strange and illogical, but the child believes them to be true.
- Examples include believing they have special powers, that others are trying to harm them, or that everyday events have special meaning for them.
Difficulty thinking clearly and logically. Speech may be jumbled, incoherent, or make little sense.
May range from childlike silliness to unpredictable agitation. They may have unusual mannerisms or postures.
Loss of motivation, social withdrawal, flat affect (reduced emotional expression), decreased speech, and lack of interest in activities.
Causes & Risk Factors
The exact causes of childhood psychosis are unknown, but several factors may contribute:
Psychosis can be a symptom of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, and severe depression.
Although less common in children, certain drugs can trigger psychosis.
Some medical conditions, like brain tumors, epilepsy, or infections, can cause psychosis.
Traumatic experiences can sometimes trigger psychotic symptoms.
A family history of psychotic disorders can increase the risk.
Addressing Children's Psychosis
- Seek professional help immediately: If a child is showing signs of psychosis, it’s crucial to seek help from a mental health professional.
- Early intervention: Early intervention and treatment can significantly improve outcomes.
- Medication: Antipsychotic medications can help manage psychotic symptoms.
- Therapy: Therapy, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or family therapy, can help children understand and manage their condition.
- Family support: Family involvement and support are crucial for recovery.
- Reduce stress: Help children manage stress and develop healthy coping mechanisms.
A List of Child Mental Health Issues We Treat at Sullivan & Associates
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Disordered eating refers to a range of unhealthy eating behaviors that can include restrictive dieting, binge eating, purging, excessive exercise, or an intense preoccupation with food, weight, and body image. While these behaviors may not meet the full criteria for a diagnosable eating disorder, they can still significantly impact a child’s physical and mental health. It’s crucial to address disordered eating early on, as it can increase the risk of developing a full-blown eating disorder later in life.
Emotion regulation is the ability to understand, manage, and respond to one’s emotions in healthy and appropriate ways. It’s a crucial skill that develops throughout childhood and adolescence. Young children often experience big emotions that they don’t yet understand or know how to handle. Helping children develop strong emotion regulation skills is essential for their social-emotional development, their ability to build healthy relationships, and their overall well-being.
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Inattention and motor restlessness are common challenges during adolescence. While these behaviors can be a normal part of teenage development, they can also be signs of underlying issues like Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), anxiety, learning difficulties, or other conditions. It’s important to understand the causes and potential impact of these behaviors to provide appropriate support and intervention when needed.
Learning disabilities are neurodevelopmental disorders that affect the brain’s ability to receive, process, store, and respond to information. They can impact a child’s ability to read, write, speak, listen, reason, or do math. Learning disabilities are not a reflection of a child’s intelligence. Children with learning disabilities are just as smart as their peers, but their brains process information differently.
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Psychosis is a mental health condition that causes people to lose touch with reality. While it’s more commonly associated with adults, psychosis can also occur in children, though it’s much rarer. During a psychotic episode, children may experience hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren’t there) and delusions (false beliefs that are not based on reality). Childhood psychosis can be very distressing and disruptive, and it’s crucial to seek professional help if a child is showing signs of psychosis.
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