Robert L. Findling, MD - Choosing a Therapeutic Approach to Early-Onset Schizophrenia: Disease Assessment to Pharmacotherapy

Summary: Schizophrenia is rare in childhood, but its prevalence steadily increases during adolescence. Many of the symptoms associated with schizophrenia are relatively common and nonspecific; the differential diagnosis of schizophrenia is broad. The use of atypical antipsychotics has shown positive results in adults with schizophrenia. Relatively few data are available on the effectiveness of these agents in children and adolescents. However, a number of recent studies have shown some promising results and have added to this small body of evidence.