Jani Schofield Was born in California, and her case went around the world for being the youngest girl diagnosed of schizophrenia Severe child. At the tender age of 6, he already seemed to have hallucinations in which he saw more than 200 different creatures. He even created his own world, a mysterious space he called"Calanini."
The Childhood schizophrenia Is a complex subject on which there are numerous unknowns. It is especially controversial because it is confused with other disorders such as autism or Bipolar disorder .
Today, this diagnostic category has not been included in any diagnostic manual (DSM or ICD-10). Although there are cases of schizophrenia in childhood, such as Jani Schofield.
Childhood schizophrenia is characterized by having the same symptoms of schizophrenia in adults. For example, they suffer from hallucinations (listening to voices, talking to people who do not exist or seeing people or unreal objects, or conspiraniocas perceptions).
They also experience disordered thinking and delusions (irrational or false beliefs that hold firmly, as they believe they can communicate with the afterlife).
On the other hand, there are alterations in attention and concentration, as well as affective disorders (depression or mania). These children are disconnected from reality, living in a world"built"by themselves. This affects your day to day life and the people around you, especially if you start hurting others and yourself.
The care and treatment of these children is a great challenge for their families and for the professionals, since it is complex to find the appropriate intervention.
The disturbing case of Jani Schofield
January Schofield was born in California (United States) in 2002. His parents, Michael and Susan Schofield, realized that their baby was not behaving like the others.
They were worried because, as a newborn, she stared at the people almost without blinking. Usually babies keep their eyes closed for a long time, but Jani was not.
On the seventh day of her birth, Jani only slept for periods of 20 minutes. The rest of the time he stayed with his eyes wide open. In total, he could sleep about 3 hours a day, while a normal baby sleeps between 14 and 16 hours a day. They also observed that he had a lot of energy, besides showing constant tantrums and screams.
When she was 5 months old, Jani's parents began to think that her behavior was because she was gifted. Above all, because at this age he was already able to point to his own nose, eyes and mouth.
However, when he was about to turn 3, he already had several imaginary friends with whom he communicated. First a dog, and then a cat she called"four hundred". She even started asking the others to call her with different names like"rainbow"or"blue-eyed tree frog".
Jani's behavior became even more problematic at 3 years of age. He began to have problems at school that forced him to change schools. He was also angry constantly and had strong tantrums, throwing objects at people. His parents tried to educate and control her using the usual strategies (rules, waiting times, rewards, punishments...) However, nothing seemed to be effective in changing Jani's attitude.
A year later, the teachers were alarmed by the way of being of the little girl. She liked to play alone, away from the other children. In addition, she began to perform self-destructive behaviors, that is, she hurt herself and tried to strangle herself.
At the same time, Michael and Susan decided to have another son, whom they called Bodhi. Jani did not seem to stand the change. Every time she was more violent and tried to hurt her little brother. She told her parents that she really did not want to behave like this with the little one, but she could not help it.
Diagnostic Problems What's wrong with Jani?
Michael and Susan, very worried, decided to take Jani to the psychiatrist. They were attended by Linda Woodall, a specialist in children and adolescents with problems. Jani behaved aggressively during the consultation, so Linda prescribed a Antipsychotic Valid in children called Risperidone . Nevertheless, the drug was not effective.
The pros did not know what was wrong with Jani. The diagnosis varied from anxiety , Through the"tailor's box"of the ADHD , To bipolar disorder. What did not fit was that Jani was trying to hurt herself, and her symptoms were an exceptional case that they did not agree to classify.
In January 2009 the girl had an attack while she was in school. Suddenly, he began to behave very violently striking everything and self-injuring himself. It came to such an extent that the teachers feared for their physical integrity, and had to lock her up in a classroom alone while they warned the parents.
Police had to intervene and Jani was held for two weeks in the psychiatric unit of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). In that period, he was finally diagnosed with childhood schizophrenia, a difficult and unusual disorder at that age.
The world of Jani Schofield:"Calalini"
Doctors reported that the girl had no imaginary friends, but hallucinations that were part of her daily life. It is not surprising that some children at that age have imaginary friends, but are aware that they are not real.
However, Jani had her own imaginary world that she considered completely real. When he talked about his world, everything seemed unsettling, strange and dark. She called him"Calanini"which, he indicated, is located on the border"between this world and my other world."
Jani constantly saw animals that talked to her and ordered her to do things, mainly to hurt other people or herself. He also associated some number figures with animals or bodies.
He had an imaginary friend whom he called"twenty-four hours,"as well as a rat he named"Wednesday"(as well as the"four hundred"cat mentioned earlier). In fact, his father even counted up to 200 different imaginary friends.
At present, this case has become so famous that the imaginary world of Jani inspired some to create a song Of this, and even a video game.
What treatment did Jani receive?
It is complicated to find a good treatment for schizophrenia. The professionals focus their efforts on improving the quality of life of the patient and his family through different therapies. Medications are often needed, but these are not very effective in children.
Jani was prescribed several drugs for the severity of her case. Taken together clozapine, the strongest drug to treat schizophrenia, and lithium . As well as chlorpromazine to be able to calm it when it had very strong attacks. The girl improved a lot, although certain psychotic behaviors persisted in her.
Jani has weekly medical visits to monitor her condition, look at her connection to reality, the effect of medications being given, and the presence of possible side effects; So try to minimize them.
The main fear of the parents was that he attacked his brother. They managed to avoid this by splitting into two very close apartments. In one, during the day, the whole family did activities. Meanwhile, at night, each father stayed with one of the children for Jani to accede to his brother. In addition, they adapted a space so that it was comfortable and did not have objects within reach with which it could be hurt.
People suffering from schizophrenia demand a lot of care, so some parents prefer children to grow in specific centers. However, Jane's parents tried, at all costs, not to look for creative solutions.
They worked tirelessly to improve their daughter's life and avoid hospitalization. For this they had to accompany her throughout the day without rest, especially because she tried to commit suicide several times.
The treatment of the girl was also complex because the parents hardly received support from the public authorities. They had to give up help from the California Department of Health because they were only offered treatment in a center far from their home, which made regular visits impossible.
The parents tried to lead the child to lead a normal life, and so they sent her to public school. There he received classes with a teacher in a special education classroom. Jani did not play with other children, but with her imaginary friends. She was only related to another girl named Becca, who has paranoid schizophrenia and was her partner in the psychiatric ward.
Jani has periods in which she is stable, although sometimes she has psychotic attacks and hallucinations with dogs, cats, children and numbers. This is very difficult for the family because when it seems to step forward, it suddenly turns back.
When the child turned 9, the parents tried to reunite the family in one house so that the other child would grow up without being afraid of his sister. This helped Jani a lot. Although hallucinations (and some new ones) were still present, they had dropped and were less violent.
Jani Foundation
The case of Jani has had great diffusion due also to the activism of its parents, who have looked for the visibility of its illness. In 2008, they created an online support group for families of children affected by schizophrenia and other mental illnesses (autism, bipolar disorder, psychosis).
This group has helped connect all these people by organizing meetings to get to know each other. Families can exchange opinions and experiences, which is very beneficial for them; As it makes them feel less alone in their fight against these complicated diseases.
They also created the association Jani Foundation , Which offers fun social events such as games, trampolines, go-carts... They aim to make children affected by mental illness experience a relaxed environment, and can interact with other children. In fact, the main purpose of Jani Foundation is the"socialization of isolation".
Jani also participated in a program of Oprah Winfrey, as well as others of Dr. Phil. His case was also released on the popular Discovery Fit & Health television channel. They did three programs with Jani's case:"Born Schizophrenic: Jani's Next Chapter","Born Schizophrenic: Jani at 10"and"Born Schizophrenic: Jani and Bodhi's Journey".
These documentaries describe the day-to-day life of the family, as well as their struggle to give their daughter a better quality of life. Also interviewed were practitioners who had treated Jani, as well as other families with children afflicted with other similar mental illnesses.
The doctors have pointed out that it has been very important the dedication of the parents, as well as their daily work at individual and social level.
Does Childhood Schizophrenia Have Hereditary Components?
Although Jani's disease is unusual, other children also suffer from it. It seems that to develop schizophrenia requires a genetic component in addition to certain experiences that activate those genes.
The case of Jani seems to have a strong hereditary component, since it was expressed almost at birth. This also causes the case to be more severe and difficult to treat.
Another clue that makes us believe in the genetic components of schizophrenia is that Jani's younger brother also developed it. At first he was misdiagnosed as having autism. Later, when he was four, they observed certain paranoid behaviors, which seemed to indicate signs of schizophrenia.
Her condition worsened over time, as she began to self-injure herself as her sister did. In addition, he underwent several violent outbursts in which they had to hospitalize him and immobilize him with a straitjacket.
The Bodhi case seems to be more complex, since it does not verbalize what it feels. This prevents parents and professionals from understanding, which puts them in a new challenge.
As it is so complicated to maintain this family life, it is possible that the marriage is affected. Approximately 75% of parents with these types of problems end up divorcing. In fact, Michael and Susan divorced in 2015. However, they continue to struggle for their children to lead a better life.
Reference
- Caba, J. (May 14, 2014). 'Born Schizophrenic': Jani Schofield And Her 6-Year-Old Brother May Be Suffering From The Same Mental Illness. Retrieved from Medical Daily.
- Childhood-Onset Schizophrenia: Diagnostic and Treatment Challenges. (1 February 2007). Retrieved from"Psychiatric Times".
- Childhood Schizophrenia: The Curious Case of Jani Schofield. (March 25, 2014). Obtained from Red Strategy.
- Hushing the intruders in her brain. (29 December 2009). Retrieved from the Los Angeles Times.
- The difficult family life with children's schizophrenia. (S.f.). Retrieved on December 27, 2016, from Discovery Communications.
- Roan, S. (October 3, 2012). Jani's at the mercy of her mind. Retrieved from the Los Angeles Times.
- The 7-Year-Old Schizophrenic. (S.f.). Retrieved on December 27, 2016, from Oprah.
- Born Schizophrenic - Jani's Next Chapter (youtube.com).
- Born Schizophrenic: Jani and Bodhi's Journey (youtube.com).