I am new to this forum and was recommended by a friend that i seek some help and advice.
I have a twelve year old daughter who has recently told me that she is experiencing problems with hearing voices,…i am really concerned and wondered if any one on the forum has any first hand experience of children who suffer with schizophrenia. And also what age range can the onset of this condition start?
I would be really grateful for any help or advice on this subject
thanks for reading and i look forward to any feedback
Hi, I have been ill since that around age, maybe a little younger, but maybe it was the prodromal stage. About hearing voices though, even a healthy person has voices that come from too much caffeine or some other things (which I don’t remember). However, you should take your kid to the psychiatrist to be sure of what she has. I 've also heard that when a person gets soon to the doctor and gets medicated, there is a good prognosis.
You need to get your kid to a doctor to have this checked out. Sz like symptoms can be caused by exposure to certain drugs or chemicals, and sometimes even tumours. Not something you want strangers in an Internet forum to diagnose.
I also say doctor. Some children with autism can hear voices. My son with autism did when he was younger. I think he mixed up thoughts and hearing voices. To him it was voices but it was like they filled an emptiness and lack if stimuli. The mind makes sounds.
Hi and welcome
I have got the sounds (auditory hallucinations) when I was very young at the age of 11, I even remember that I had some before I started going to school, hearing voices or sounds can start from infancy and age is irrelevant to schizophrenia’s onset. After few years at puberty the symptoms became much worse, but then they started to disappear slowly with time, now and after many years I lost the voices completely, still have some phobia from time to time but it’s quite normal to me.
I could say few things that might help, if her life has changed because u have found a new job and she’s just isolated then leave your jobs and stay home with her, work on her mood and try to make her life better because it all starts from bad situations in life.
Good luck my dear
**Hi @nikkipruden~~
My son has SZ, and not really sure when his symptoms started, but he was diagnosed at 19.
There are a lot of threads on this site that you can check out for information on this. But I would get her to a doctor as soon as possible.
Check back here-this is a very supportive site.
Wishing you well!
Thank you for all your comments, I would never put my daughter at risk by trying to get some sort of diagnosis from the internet, I am looking more for support and information on how to deal with this situation. I started this thread about an hour before taking her to the doctors, which she already had an appointment for this. He is referring her as an urgent case to the psychiatrist due to her already having Tourettes, her brother having aspergers, I have bi-polar and her aunt (my sister) has schizophrenia. I just want her to have a happy and fulfilling life without anymore mental health issues. I have never taken drugs -except those prescribed to me and then I only started them 2 years ago. We live in the middle of the countryside so I can’t see chemicals being the problem. I think it is more family history that has caused this
I just never thought it could happen to a 12 year old.
Sometimes we have to manage life but educating ourselves like the doctors do so we can prevent illnesses from happening. I think it’s important to do research on what a twelve year old child can get and even define it more. Parents have to take leading roles in there own children’s lives. Get some factual data from qualified doctors of pediatric s that can tell you what she is going through and how to prevent further developing issues from occurring. University hospitals are great and behavioral hospitals that deal specifically with pediatrics.
Stress can cause voices sometimes. Is she under a lot of stress? Like in school, getting good grades, bullied, or something else? My voices started when I was 15, after a long period of mental stress due to an abusive father.
Tommiez is right. It could be a physical problem too. Temporal lobe Epilepsy sometimes mimic sz. You might not have grand mal (siezures in entire body) just hearing sounds/voices. Maybe see things. You have to rule out EP before you go on the sz trail. Also untreated thyroid problems can cause psychosis-like symptoms.
My sister was diagnosed at 13 with sz. I believe it had something to do with puberty and all the hormone imbalances. My mother was in denial about her symptoms, and then diagnosis. I felt like this worsened her condition because she did not get the early intervention. What I can say try and seek that professional medical help as soon as you can, and follow up with the recommendations. The medication has lessen my sisters symptoms and has helped her cope with it. It is hard long road, but you are doing a great job by getting her looked at the by the psychiatrist already. So yes it can happen even in children, shockingly. I think with your help and support she should have a fulfilling life with or without mental illness.
My son was diagnosed as a teenager, apparently from what I have heard sometimes schizophrenia will go away but early treatment is needed. Get correct help for your daughter quickly and make sure the GP knows your daughter is hearing voices so she is referred to the correct medical team.
Hope this is of some help.
Don’t worry too much about the diagnosis of schizophrenia. I always have an interest in children who have this diagnosis. AS you mmay know this illness is spiritual in nature. Your daughter may have a gift where she can hear voices from the spirit world. Its just something to think about.
