Differential diagnosis of an adolescent between depression, substance related disorders and schizophrenia: case report

Abstract

Introduction: differentiating psychiatric conditions is complicated in children and adolescents because often symptoms are not stable and personalities of such patients haven’t finished to form yet. Schizophrenia in adolescents might just be starting to present and its symptoms in prodrome stage can be similar to symptoms of depression, bipolar disorder, substance–related disorders, some personality disorders and etc. We analyse a case of an adolescent whose condition worsened for 2 years despite treatment.