Esquizofrenia de inicio precoz: Revisión bibliográfica.

Abstract

Early-onset schizophrenia is defined as illness onset before the age of 18 and encompasses childhood-onset and adolescent-onset schizophrenia. Childhood-onset schizophrenia is defined as the onset of psychotic symptoms before the age of 13 years and is considered to represent a subgroup of patients with a major hereditary etiology. Clinical manifestations include those seen in adult schizophrenia and may include the presence of hallucinations, delusions, and negative symptoms. Early-onset schizophrenia is associated with a severe clinical course, poor psychosocial functioning, and increased severity of brain abnormalities. Despite evolving more seriously, current evidence corroborates the efficacy of psychosocial and pharmacological interventions in treatment. Among the therapeutic options are the atypical antipsychotics, which have comparable efficacy but variable adverse effect profiles.