PSYCHOSES IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS - A REVIEW

The differential diagnosis of psychoses in children and adolescents en compasses a wide range of disorders. The interpretation of psychotic s ymptoms in these patients must consider age, developmental level, symp tomatology, and etiology for an appropriate DSM-IV diagnosis. Previous classifications of psychoses provided little information about the un derlying processes or possible treatment. Clinical experience suggests that psychotic manifestations in young patients are influenced by dev elopmental stage and that eliciting target symptoms from a young patie nt necessitates using and understanding the youth's language. Proper p atient assessment demands interviews with family and collaborative sou rces, as well as endocrine, metabolic, neurologic, infectious, and tox icologic laboratory evaluations. Treatment involves interventions aime d at all spheres of life. The prognosis and outcome are generally poor in early-onset psychoses and are complicated by comorbidities.