Who is likely to have childhood schizophrenia?

Who is likely to have childhood schizophrenia?

Any child can develop early schizophrenia. Some risk factors increase a child’s likelihood of developing this condition. These risks include:

• Brain structure. Some people develop too few or too many connections between neurons (brain cells).
• Family history of schizophrenia or other personality disorders
• Father older than 30 years old at the time of conception
• Genetic risk factors. Some people have changes to their genes. These changes can be inherited (passed down through families) or happen on their own.
• Neurotransmitters that do not function correctly or do not function at all. Neurotransmitters are chemicals released by neurons that help control body systems and processes. With schizophrenia, the neurotransmitters dopamine or serotonin may not work as usual.