From the moment he was handed to me in the delivery room, Alex, my firstborn, seemed not happy to be here. His eyes were bottomless, his expression grave. He spent his first three months writhing and screaming inconsolably, the word “colic” wholly insufficient to describe our collective suffering. It wasn’t until his brother, Sammy, arrived that I realized just how different Alex was compared with other babies. Sammy cried only when he was hungry or wet. He made easy eye contact and loved to be stroked, hugged and kissed—all the things Alex recoiled from as an infant.

Later, when I took Alex to playgroups, he crawled away from the other toddlers to do his own thing, so we quit going. It wasn’t that Alex appeared unhappy. He would sometimes sit and smile with satisfaction for no apparent reason. At age two and three, Alex attended a Montessori preschool. Although he enjoyed the hands-on activities, his teachers often commented that he usually ignored them as well as the other children. His first grade teacher thought he must be hard of hearing because he routinely ignored her directions, especially the daily reading and writing drills she assigned. In one of the first studies ever done with families afflicted with schizophrenia, the Edinburgh High Risk Study, Scottish mothers commonly described children who went on to develop the disorder as occupying a world of their own.

5 Comments

1. 1. alan6302 08:38 PM 4/11/12

   right after a vaccine poisoning

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

2. 2. LilJohnnie 01:19 PM 4/12/12

   Alan, your comment seems to be a tale right out of the mouth of a proverbial old wife...

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

3. 3. Michael M 12:49 AM 4/14/12

   While vaccines trick the body, and some appear to cause autoimmune response, we do have to understand that the vascular system was not evolved for direct injection of any substance.
   
   I'm still surprised that a large quantity of any substance other than aseptic saline does not cause acute violent response. Forthose interested, no correlation between personality disorders and vaccination has been substantiated, as of this time. Many long-term studies are involved in the search for such a relationship.
   
   However:
   This should not be the subject of this comment column.
   
   You will notice that the "in brief" column points out correlations in large-scale statistical sampling. That 1% is worldwide prevalence of schizophrenia. This stat has been verified over decades, with varying sources estimating between around .7% to the 1.1% mentioned.
   
   Psychosis is not any longer a commonly used term, so much as psychotic disorder. Schizophrenia is associated with some brain shrinkage or ventricle enlargement, as well as changes to dopamine production, especially during acute episodes.
   The reference to cannabis above refers to consistent findings of onset and episodes being related to the use of drugs that enhance dopamine production producing altered states of cognition not normally experienced. My final note is that prevalence is higher in urban populations. Go to the article and whatever references are shown for more specifics.

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

4. 4. mcspencer 03:56 PM 3/12/13

   I doubt this author will see this since the piece ran a year ago, but: bravo for pointing out the science behind the idea that environment and parenting can make a difference between a child who grows up to be disturbed or well adjusted. However, I am concerned about the breezy recommendation that small children be given antipsychotic meds "if necessary." These neuroleptics have not been approved for use in kids (dr's can side step that by prescribing off label). We know so little about how their growing brains are affected by these powerful meds; better to try the psychosocial interventions you mention because of the unknown (and known) serious risks of these drugs.

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

5. 5. Costello 11:22 AM 3/13/13

   MC Spencer_ Thanks for your comment and your concern about the use of antipsychotic medications with young people. I absolutely agree with your cautions. My own son, Alex, who I describe in this article, was seventeen when he received one such med for an 18 month period --along with an equivalent time with cognitive behavioral therapy with an excellent MFT who specializes in teens, after receiving a diagnosis for paranoid schizophrenia. He was and is a testimonial to the advantages of early intervention for psychosis, as he made a full recovery.
   The biggest problem for parents is not having access to specialized care for a child or adolescent experiencing severe symptoms of mental disorders -- it's something we have to fight for individually and collectively. Throughout my son's years needing care we often received the best treatment from public mental health providers -- and at this time I fear we will lose many of these excellent psychologists and psychiatrists to budget cuts. Again thanks for commenting.

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this