Can kids get schizophrenia?

I have a student that has multiple imaginary friends and he's in the fouth grade, can this kid have schizophrenia?

The word "schizophrenia" is simply a label used to categorise a list of psychosocial traits that Psychiatry considers to be improper or abnormal in society. Psychiatry defines these traits as a "mental illness", and promotes it as a "disease" that requires "treatment".

It is not a "disease", despite claims made in certain peoples answers here. There is NO credible scientific evidence that shows the existence of what constitutes "schizophrenia" as a biological/neurological disorder, brain abnormality or "chemical imbalance".

"For a disease to exist there must be a tangible, objective physical abnormality that can be determined by a test such as, but not limited to, blood or urine test, X-Ray, brain scan or biopsy. All reputable doctors would agree: No physical abnormality, no disease. In psychiatry, no test or brain scan exists to prove that a 'mental disorder' is a physical disease. Disingenuous comparisons between physical and mental illness and medicine are simply part of psychiatry's orchestrated but fraudulent public relations and marketing campaign." Fred A. Baughman Jr., MD (Neurologist, Pediatric Neurology), & Fellow at the American Academy of Neurology.

"Chemical imbalance鈥t鈥檚 a shorthand term really, it鈥檚 probably drug industry derived鈥?We don鈥檛 have tests because to do it, you鈥檇 probably have to take a chunk of brain out of someone - not a good idea." Dr. Mark Graff, Chair of the Committee of Public Affairs for the American Psychiatric Association. July, 2005.

Symptoms that psychiatry labels as "schizophrenia" (or it's related disorders), can stem from any number of variable sources. Many people have overcome disorders such as "bipolar" and "schizophrenia" through effective megavitamin therapy and effective nutrition. A growing wealth of evidence supports that underlying nutritional deficiencies can cause even the most severe mental disorders, including "schizophrenia". [1,2,3,4,5,6]

You may also be interested to know that the work undertaken by pioneers such as Dr. Lars Martensson and the late Dr. Loren Mosher show that there is also another way - far safer and more effective than psychiatric restraint, drugs and electro-shocks. For over a decade Loren R Mosher, MD, held a central position in American psychiatric research. He was the first Chief of the Center for Studies of Schizophrenia at the National Institute of Mental Health, 1969-1980. He founded the Schizophrenia Bulletin and for ten years he was its Editor-in-Chief. He also led the Soteria Project, which demonstrated that effective rehabilitation is possible without harmful antipsychotic drugs. Soteria provided a safe and sane environment where schizophrenic patients could stay, medication-free, with a young, nonprofessional staff trained to listen to and understand them and provide companionship. The idea was that schizophrenia can often be overcome with the help of meaningful relationships, rather than with drugs, and that such treatment would eventually lead to unquestionably healthier lives. The results were fantastic. Over just 6 weeks, patients recovered as quickly as those treated with medication in hospitals. [7,8]

Bottom line? Psychiatry is a belief-system, a "faith", not a science. Despite the huge marketing strategies, the so-called "research" and all the propaganda thrown at the world, there is not one iota of scientific evidence that proves that "schizophrenia" or ANY mental illness, in fact, exists as an actual --medical disease--.

If you have been told differently then know this: You have been lied to.

For more information, please visit:

http://groups.msn.com/psychbusters...
Decoding Psychiatric Propaganda

See also http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/a...
and http://www.webcom.com/thrive/schizo/... Source(s): 1.Effective Mood Stabilization With a Chelated Mineral Supplement: An Open-Label Trial in Bipolar (Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 62:12, December 2001).

2. Commentary: Do Vitamins or Minerals (Apart From Lithium) Have Mood-Stabilizing Effects? (Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 62:933-935, December 2001).

3.Treatment of Mood Lability and Explosive Rage with Minerals and Vitamins: Two Case Studies in Children, (Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology Volume 12(3): 203-218, 2002).

4.Nutritional Approach to Bipolar Disorder, (Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 64:3, March 2003).

5.Improved Mood and Behavior During Treatment with a Mineral-Vitamin Supplement: An Open-Label Case Series of Children (Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, Volume 14, Number 1, 2004).

6.http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/a...

7.Soteria and Other Alternatives to Acute Psychiatric Hospitalization, The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease (187:142-149, 1999).

8.Treatment of Acute Psychosis Without Neuroleptics: Two-Year Outcomes From the Soteria Project, The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease (191: 219鈥?29, 2003)

Here's a link to some evidence. http://www.schizophrenia.com/research/sc...
Scientology capitalizes (literally makes a lot of capital, i.e. money) out of demonizing psychiatry.

Kids can get it, but imaginary friends are normal at that age. If he has no other symptoms, don't worry. If he seems neurotic or does other unexplainable things, you might have him checked. I would first ask his teachers if he is exhibiting any unusual behavior for his age, because they know how boys normally act at that age.
Most kids are schizophrenic.
Its unfair for you label and ostracize an individual when the kid already has a tough time with an alcoholic dad and hapless mum.
His imaginary friends is all he's got in the world.
Deal with it.
i work w/ adults w/ schizophrenia. from what i know of their histories, most of the time schiz. does not hit until the person is about 12. children of schizophrenic parent/s are 26% more likely to inherit the illness than those born to non ill parents. so you may want to look at the child's family. also, if children have many imaginary friends, sometimes they are trying to hide or act out on trauma or abuse that has happened to them. however, ususally imaginary friends are quite normal for that age.