Abstract
In an overview article, introductory remarks on historical development of the terms psychosis and schizophrenia in paedopsychiatry were given, followed by the description of diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia in childhood and adolescence is relatively more rare than it is in adult population - according to the newest data, up to 40% of individuals with schizophrenia become ill prior to 18 years of age.
Various expressions of schizophrenic psychopathology that depend on age as well as on reached developmental stage of the patient were described. Atypical antipsychotics (AAPs) have been successfully used in early-onset schizophrenia.
The efficacy of the majority of AAPs is mutually comparable; however, clozapine demonstrated superior efficacy in treatment-resistant patients with adolescent schizophrenia, whereas ziprasidone failed to demonstrate efficacy, and the efficacy of asenapine was unclear. Regarding side effects, weight gain and associated metabolic side effects seem to be the most serious ones.
Olanzapine appears to cause the most significant weight gain in patients with adolescent schizophrenia, while aripiprazole, lurasidone and ziprasidone seem to cause the least.