JANI SCHOFIELD: A SURPRISING CASE OF CHILDHOOD SCHIZOPHRENIA - ECONOMÍA - 2024

Jani Schofield was born in California, and her case went around the world as the youngest child ever diagnosed with severe childhood schizophrenia. At the tender age of 6, she already seemed to have hallucinations in which she saw more than 200 different creatures. She even created her own world, a mysterious space that she called "Calanini."

Childhood schizophrenia is a complex subject about which there are many 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 as schizophrenia in adults. For example, they suffer from hallucinations (hearing voices, talking to people who do not exist, or seeing unreal people or objects, or conspiratorial perceptions).

They also experience disorder in thought and delusions (irrational or false beliefs that they hold firmly, such as that 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 and the people around you, especially if they begin to harm others and themselves.

The care and treatment of these children represents a great challenge for their families and for professionals, since it is difficult to find the appropriate intervention.

The case of Jani Schofield

January Schofield was born in California (United States) in 2002. Her parents, Michael and Susan Schofield, noticed that their baby did not behave like the others.

They were concerned since, being a newborn, she stared at people almost without blinking. Babies usually keep their eyes closed for a long time, but Jani wasn't like that.

By the seventh day after she was born, Jani only slept for 20 minute periods. The rest of the time he kept his eyes wide open. In total, she could sleep around 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, in addition to showing constant tantrums and screaming.

When she was 5 months old, Jani's parents began to think that her behavior was due to her being gifted. Above all, because at this age she was already able to point to her 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 that she called "four hundred." She even started asking others to call her by different names like "rainbow" or "blue-eyed tree frog".

Jani's behavior became even more problematic at 3 years of age. She began to have problems at school that forced her to change schools. She was also constantly angry and had strong tantrums, throwing objects at people. Her 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 little girl's way of being. She liked to play alone, away from the other children. In addition, she began to engage in self-destructive behaviors, that is, she hurt herself and tried to strangle herself.

At the same time, Michael and Susan decided to have another child, whom they named Bodhi. Jani couldn't seem to bear this change. She was becoming more and more violent and trying to hurt her little brother. She told her parents that she really didn't want to be like this with the little one, but that she couldn't help it.

Diagnostic problems What's wrong with Jani?

Michael and Susan, very concerned, decided to take Jani to the psychiatrist. They were attended by Linda Woodall, a specialist in troubled children and adolescents. Jani was aggressive during the visit, so Linda prescribed a valid antipsychotic for children called risperidone. Despite everything, the drug was not effective.

The professionals did not know what was wrong with Jani. The diagnosis ranged from anxiety, going through the “catchall” of ADHD, to bipolar disorder. What didn't fit was that Jani was trying to hurt herself, and her symptoms were an exceptional case that they couldn't agree to classify.

In January 2009, the girl had a seizure while at school. Suddenly, she began to behave very violently, hitting everything and injuring herself. It got to such an extent that the teachers feared for her physical integrity, and had to lock her up alone in a classroom while they notified the parents.

The police had to intervene and Jani was detained for 2 weeks in the psychiatric unit of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). In that period, she was finally diagnosed with childhood schizophrenia, a difficult and unusual disorder at that age.

Jani Schofield's World: "Calanini"

Doctors reported that the girl did not have imaginary friends, but hallucinations that were part of her daily life. It is not strange that some children at this age have imaginary friends, but they are aware that they are not real.

However, Jani had her own imaginary world that she considered completely real. When she spoke of her world, everything seemed haunting, strange, and dark. She called him "Calanini" which, as she indicated, is located on the border "between this world and my other world."

Jani constantly saw animals that spoke to her and ordered things to her, mainly that she did harm to other people or herself. She 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 whom he named "Wednesday" (in addition to the cat "four hundred" mentioned earlier). In fact, her father counted up to 200 different imaginary friends.

Today, this case has become so famous that Jani's imaginary world inspired some by creating a song about it, and even a video game.

What treatment did Jani receive?

Finding a good treatment for schizophrenia is difficult. Professionals focus their efforts on improving the quality of life of the patient and their family through different therapies. Medications are often necessary, but they are not very effective in children.

Jani was prescribed several drugs due to the severity of her case. She was taking clozapine, the strongest medicine for treating schizophrenia, and lithium together. As well as chlorpromazine to be able to calm her when she 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, see her connection to reality, the effect of the medications that are being administered, and the presence of possible side effects; in order to try to minimize them.

The main fear of the parents was that he would attack his brother. They managed to avoid this by dividing into two very close apartments. In one, during the day, the whole family carried out activities. While, at night, each parent stayed with one of the children for Jani to access her brother. In addition, they adapted a space so that she was comfortable and did not have objects within reach with which she could hurt herself.

People suffering from schizophrenia demand a lot of care, so some parents prefer that their children grow up in specific centers. However, Jane's parents tried at all costs to prevent this from being the case, seeking creative solutions.

They worked tirelessly to improve their daughter's life and avoid her hospitalization. For this, they had to accompany her throughout the day without rest, especially since she tried to commit suicide several times.

The girl's treatment was also complex because the parents received almost no support from the public authorities. They had to renounce a grant from the California County Health Department, since they only offered treatment in a center very far from their home, which made regular visits impossible.

The parents tried to make the girl lead a normal life, and so they sent her to public school. There she received classes with a teacher in a special education classroom. Jani did not play with other children, but with her imaginary friends. She only related to another girl named Becca, who has paranoid schizophrenia and was her partner on the psychiatric ward.

Jani has periods when she is stable, although she occasionally has psychotic attacks and hallucinations with dogs, cats, children and numbers. This is very difficult for the family because when they seem to take a step forward, they suddenly turn back.

When the girl turned 9 years old, the parents tried to reunite the family in a single house so that the other son would grow up without being afraid of his sister. This helped Jani a lot. Although hallucinations (and some new ones) continued to occur, they had dropped in level and were less violent.

Jani Foundation

Jani's case has been widely publicized also due to the activism of her parents, who have sought to make her illness visible. They created in 2008 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 of these people by organizing 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 Jani Foundation association, which offers fun social events such as games, trampolines, go-kart races… They aim for children affected by mental illness to experience a relaxed environment, and to be able to interact with other children. In fact, the main purpose of the Jani Foundation is the “socialization of isolation”.

Jani also participated in an Oprah Winfrey show, as well as others by Dr. Phil. Her case was also made known through the popular television channel Discovery Fit & Health. They carried out 3 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. Professionals who had treated Jani, as well as other families with children suffering from other similar mental illnesses, were also interviewed.

Doctors have pointed out that the dedication of the parents has been very important, as well as their daily work on an individual and social level.

Does childhood schizophrenia have hereditary components?

Although Jani's illness is unusual, other children suffer from it too. It seems that developing schizophrenia requires a genetic component in addition to certain experiences that activate these genes.

Jani's case seems to have a strong hereditary component, since it was expressed almost at birth. This also makes the case more severe and difficult to treat.

Another clue that leads us to believe in the genetic components of schizophrenia is that Jani's little brother also developed it. At first he was incorrectly diagnosed with autism. Later, when he was four years old, they observed certain paranoid behaviors, which seemed to indicate signs of schizophrenia.

His condition worsened over time, as he began to injure himself as his sister did. In addition, he suffered several violent outbreaks in which he had to be hospitalized and immobilized with a straitjacket.

The Bodhi case seems to be more complex, since he does not verbalize what he feels. This prevents parents and professionals from understanding him, which places them in a new challenge.

As this family life is so difficult to maintain, it is possible that the marriage is affected. About 75% of parents with these types of problems end up divorcing. In fact, Michael and Susan divorced in 2015. However, they continue to fight for their children to lead better lives.

Reference

1. Caba, J. (May 14, 2014). 'Born Schizophrenic': Jani Schofield And Her 6-Year-Old Brother May Be Suffering From The Same Mental Illness. Obtained from Medical Daily.
2. Childhood-Onset Schizophrenia: Diagnostic and Treatment Challenges. (February 1, 2007). Obtained from Psychiatric Times.
3. Childhood Schizophrenia: The Curious Case of Jani Schofield. (March 25, 2014). Obtained from Red Strategy.
4. Hushing the intruders in her brain. (December 29, 2009). Obtained from Los Angeles Times.
5. The difficult family life with childhood schizophrenia. (sf). Retrieved on December 27, 2016, from Discovery Communications.
6. Roan, S. (October 3, 2012). Jani's at the mercy of her mind. Obtained from Los Angeles Times.
7. The 7-Year-Old Schizophrenic. (sf). Retrieved on December 27, 2016, from Oprah.
8. Born Schizophrenic - Jani's Next Chapter (youtube.com).
9. Born Schizophrenic: Jani and Bodhi's Journey (youtube.com).