A big question would be: what really is adolescent schizophrenia? In all cases there are positive and negative symptoms. A child's life can be radically altered if it is not diagnosed or treated early enough. Unfortunately, sometimes this disorder becomes a lifelong struggle. Parents and the child's family always have to worry about the child's reaction to something and the consequences of these problems. To answer the question posed earlier, adolescent schizophrenia is an interesting and puzzling disorder in which the brain becomes severely immobilized. There are 4 main types of schizophrenia, all based on age. Very early-onset schizophrenia, VEOS, occurs before the child's thirteenth birthday. Early-onset schizophrenia, EOS, will manifest before the 18th birthday. Childhood-onset schizophrenia, COS, which occurs in the pre-pubertal phase, depending on the child's chronological age, will show when the child is 12 years old or younger. Finally, adolescent-onset schizophrenia manifests itself between the ages of 13 and 17. Some of the main reasons for this disorder are neurobiological and neurophysiological difficulties and genetic problems. The problematic part of the genes occurs on chromosomes 6, 8,10,13,18 and 22. With neurobiological problems, some symptoms would be a reduction in brain volume, changes in the serotonergic and noradrenergic systems. The neurophysiological aspects consist of a lowered IQ, reduced speech perception, poor speech production and formal thought disorders. Many other problems can result from schizophrenia. Some of the main recurring problems associated with this disorder are hallucinations and delusions, and there is actually a big difference between the two. Hallucinations can be auditory, gustatory, or… middle of paper… it is a diagnosis of another type of disorder. This is called comorbid conditions. Some of the main disorders that could be associated with EOS are anxiety and depression. Some problems that can arise from having comorbid conditions are that the child may have cognitive difficulties and developmental delays. Before doctors actually look at the child's comorbid conditions, they will think that the child has autistic disorder (McDonell & McClellan). In children with EOS, substance abuse can become a huge problem as they get older. One of the biggest abuses would be nicotine (NIMH, 2007). A child with schizophrenia certainly leads a completely different life than a child without this disorder. Simple tasks like brushing teeth and getting dressed can turn into an extremely difficult experience not only for the child but also for the parents.