Un diagnostic méconnu : la schizophrénie chez l’enfant

Childhood-onset schizophrenia is rare: its prevalence is about 50 times lower than the one observed in adulthood. It is also frequently an unrecognized disorder, notably because its clinical aspect varies with age and intellectual functioning. Differential diagnosis with affective psychoses is also difficult because the high frequency of comorbid disorders. Its consequences on the child social functioning are nevertheless significant: schizophrenia leads to severe behavioral disorders, requiring more often the child hospitalization in a psychiatric department. Outcome studies suggest a continuity in the diagnosis of schizophrenia between childhood and adulthood, and show that its prognosis, although highly varying, is generally somewhat poor. All these data highlight the need for an early diagnosis, in order to start the treatment as precociously as possible.