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AAP News Vol. 10 No. 8 August 1994, p. 2 © 1994 American Academy of Pediatrics
Childhood-onset schizophrenia often is misdiagnosed and frequently confused with similar psychotic disorders, according to a study in the June Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Researchers found that a variety of severe, childhood, psychiatric conditions overlap with schizophrenic traits, leading to too-frequent diagnosis of schizophrenia. Physicians have particular difficulty distinguishing childhood-onset schizophrenia (ages 4 years to 16 years) from children who are "multidimensionally impaired" (MDI).
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