A 12 year chart review of childhood and adolescent onset psychosis at a Nigerian tertiary mental health facility

• Published in: Journal of child and adolescent mental health Vol. 28; no. 3; pp. 189 - 197
• Main Authors: Okewole, Adeniran O, Ogunwale, Adegboyega, Mosanya, Temilola J, Ojo, Babatunde M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: South Africa Routledge 31.10.2016
• Subjects: Adolescent; Affective Disorders, Psychotic - epidemiology; Age of Onset; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - epidemiology; Autism Spectrum Disorder - epidemiology; Child; Child, Preschool; Comorbidity; Enuresis - epidemiology; Epilepsy - epidemiology; Female; Hospitals, Psychiatric; Humans; Male; Neurocognitive Disorders - epidemiology; Nigeria - epidemiology; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications - epidemiology; Psychotic Disorders - epidemiology; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Schizophrenia - epidemiology; Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology; Tertiary Care Centers; Time Factors
• ISSN: 1728-0583; 1728-0591; 1728-0591
• DOI: 10.2989/17280583.2016.1245194

Objectives: To review the profile of children and adolescents presenting with psychosis at a specialist mental health facility, and to compare childhood with adolescent onset psychosis. Method: Hospital records of all children and adolescents over a 12-year period (1999-2010) were perused to identify those falling under the categories of psychotic disorders. Clinical, socio-demographic, obstetric, and developmental information was extracted. Results: Mean age of the children ((n = 409)) was 15.9 years, with 8.1% aged 12 years or less. The most frequent diagnoses were schizophrenia (40.8%), brief psychotic disorder (25.9%), mood disorder with psychosis (15.2%), and organic psychosis (7.8%). Family history of mental illness was reported among 22.5%. Subjects with childhood onset were significantly less likely than those with adolescent onset to have a family history of mental illness (p = 0.016), more likely to report maternal illness during pregnancy (p = 0.005) and illness during infancy (p = 0.010), and more likely to have a diagnosis of psychotic disorder due to another general medical condition (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The study suggests that antenatal/obstetric factors and illness during infancy may be particularly relevant in psychosis of childhood onset. Family history of mental illness may however be of greater relevance in adolescent onset psychosis.