title: Diagnosis and evaluation of hallucinations and other psychotic symptoms in children and adolescents.
abstract: Recognizing positive psychotic symptoms and their diagnostic context in youth is challenging. A large minority say they "hear things others do not hear," though they seldom present with complaints of hallucinations or delusions. Few have schizophrenia spectrum disorder, but many have other psychiatric disorders. Frequently, they have psychotic symptoms for an extended period before diagnosis. Clinicians should understand psychotic symptoms and their differential diagnoses. This article reviews the epidemiology, associated diagnoses, and prognosis of hallucinations and delusions in youth. Strategies for optimizing the clinical diagnostic interview, appropriate laboratory tests, indications for psychological testing, and rating scales are reviewed.
authors.affiliation: ASPIRE Program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB 7167 UNC-CH, 2218 Nelson Highway, Suite 1, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7167, USA. Electronic address: Lsikich@med.unc.edu.
authors.forename: Linmarie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sikich
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000341:Affective Disorders, Psychotic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D017668:Age of Onset; D002648:Child; D002665:Child Psychiatry / Q000379:methods*; D003702:Delusions / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003943:Diagnostic Techniques, Neurological; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005192:Family Health; D006212:Hallucinations / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D011379:Prognosis; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Affective psychoses; Benign hallucinations; Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale for Children; Differential diagnosis; Early-onset schizophrenia; Hallucinations; Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale; Psychosis