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Suggest Treatment For Auditory Hallucinations In A Child
Question: My 5 year old daughter says she can hear two voices telling her to do things. she says they yell at her, tell her things like what to pick to eat, to hit her brother, what to say and how to act and when she doesn't do what they say they yell at her. She also said that one is meaner than the other. I put it off as imagination but I think it may be more. She came to me last night and said she wants them to go away.
Brief Answer:
These are the symptoms of schizophrenia
Detailed Answer:
Hi, thanks for writing through HCM.
I have read your query and understood your concerns.
Schizophrenia is a psychiatric illness which is characterized by visual and auditory hallucinations with delusions. Your daughter is experiencing auditory hallucination of 2 persons that gives her commands. This is a classical symptoms for a diagnosis of schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia can present at any age. In a child, if it is present before 12 years of age then it is called early onset schizophrenia. Schizophrenia at the age of 5 years also have been reported. Timely diagnosis and management will help. So, I here recommend you to take her to a child and adolescent psychiatrist and get evaluation. She needs urgent attention and drugs.
delay in the treatment can make illness complicated and resistant to medications.
Hope I have answered your query. If you have further query then I shall be happy to help.
Wish you good health.
These are the symptoms of schizophrenia
Detailed Answer:
Hi, thanks for writing through HCM.
I have read your query and understood your concerns.
Schizophrenia is a psychiatric illness which is characterized by visual and auditory hallucinations with delusions. Your daughter is experiencing auditory hallucination of 2 persons that gives her commands. This is a classical symptoms for a diagnosis of schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia can present at any age. In a child, if it is present before 12 years of age then it is called early onset schizophrenia. Schizophrenia at the age of 5 years also have been reported. Timely diagnosis and management will help. So, I here recommend you to take her to a child and adolescent psychiatrist and get evaluation. She needs urgent attention and drugs.
delay in the treatment can make illness complicated and resistant to medications.
Hope I have answered your query. If you have further query then I shall be happy to help.
Wish you good health.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj
Could this not be a demonic spirit and be non medically related at all. Schizophrenia is rare in children and she doesn't have any other symptoms She is very smart and is very well behaved. She also states that she doesn't want to tell her brother about the people talking to her because he will tease her and it hurts her feelings. She says she wants them to stop because she can not concentrate in school them
Brief Answer:
Medical science do not believe in demonic spirits
Detailed Answer:
Hi, thanks for writing again.
Medical science do not believe in demonic spirits and their possession of a body. It is a psychiatric illness with dissociative phenomenon of personality.
The symptoms of your daughter, care for her brother and difficulty in concentrating at school, all are part of the illness. The person with schizophrenia who has commanding hallucination, has secondary false belief that those voices would harm his/her family member also and therefore they show extra care for them. A 5 years old child does not have developed proper thinking because mind is still in developmental phase in context of cognition. If she is not treated properly then the disturbed thinking will remain as it is and her personality will be deformed for her whole life.
I know that the schizophrenia has extreme stigma in society but speaking about demonic spirit also surprises people now a days. You are defensive about her illness because you love her so much. I am just suggesting that it can be schizophrenia, I have not labelled it. It may be possible that I may be wrong but you have to take her for professional help. The child psychiatrist will interview her and then s/he can make diagnosis. I can not make a diagnosis by just asking few questions and minor details.
So, don't worry. You shall find about the illness of your daughter when you visit a psychiatrist. S/he will guide through treatment. I said schizophrenia but for the diagnosis of schizophrenia total duration of illness should exceed 6 months at least. Some psychotic illness of short duration is completely curable, even they do not recur in future also. Don't delay in visiting a psychiatrist and do not engage in religious procedure considering it a demonic spell. If you shall do this, you shall worsen her condition only.
Hope I have answered your query. If you do not have further query then close the discussion and rate the question.
Wish you good health.
Medical science do not believe in demonic spirits
Detailed Answer:
Hi, thanks for writing again.
Medical science do not believe in demonic spirits and their possession of a body. It is a psychiatric illness with dissociative phenomenon of personality.
The symptoms of your daughter, care for her brother and difficulty in concentrating at school, all are part of the illness. The person with schizophrenia who has commanding hallucination, has secondary false belief that those voices would harm his/her family member also and therefore they show extra care for them. A 5 years old child does not have developed proper thinking because mind is still in developmental phase in context of cognition. If she is not treated properly then the disturbed thinking will remain as it is and her personality will be deformed for her whole life.
I know that the schizophrenia has extreme stigma in society but speaking about demonic spirit also surprises people now a days. You are defensive about her illness because you love her so much. I am just suggesting that it can be schizophrenia, I have not labelled it. It may be possible that I may be wrong but you have to take her for professional help. The child psychiatrist will interview her and then s/he can make diagnosis. I can not make a diagnosis by just asking few questions and minor details.
So, don't worry. You shall find about the illness of your daughter when you visit a psychiatrist. S/he will guide through treatment. I said schizophrenia but for the diagnosis of schizophrenia total duration of illness should exceed 6 months at least. Some psychotic illness of short duration is completely curable, even they do not recur in future also. Don't delay in visiting a psychiatrist and do not engage in religious procedure considering it a demonic spell. If you shall do this, you shall worsen her condition only.
Hope I have answered your query. If you do not have further query then close the discussion and rate the question.
Wish you good health.
Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Shanthi.E
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