Posted on 06/28/2009 9:31:15 PM PDT by Steelfish
Jani's at the mercy of her mind
The parents of a 6-year-old schizophrenic search for help against daunting odds for a patient so young and a case so severe.
Shari Roan
June 28, 2009
It's been a rough week. A few days ago, at UCLA's Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital, 6-year-old Jani toppled a food cart and was confined to her room. She slammed her head against the floor, opening a bloody cut that sent her into hysterics. Later, she kicked the hospital therapy dog.
Jani normally likes animals. But most of her animal friends -- cats, rats, dogs and birds -- are phantoms that only she can see. January Schofield has schizophrenia. Potent psychiatric drugs -- in doses that would stagger most adults -- seem to skip off her. She is among the rarest of the rare: a child seemingly born mentally ill.
She suffers from delusions, hallucinations and paroxysms of rage so severe that not even her parents feel safe. She's threatened to climb into an oven.
She's kicked and tried to bite her little brother. "I'm Jani, and I have a cat named Emily 54," she says, by way of introduction. "And I'm Saturn-the-Rat's baby sitter."
She locks her fingers in front of her chest and flexes her wrists furiously, a tic that surfaces when she's anxious.
She announces that she wants to be a veterinarian.
"I'm empathetic with rats," she says.
Asked what "empathetic" means, she smiles confidently. "It means you like rats."
The doctors have been trying a new antipsychotic medication, called Moban. Jani knows she is sick and that people want to help her.
"Is the Moban working?" her mother asks Jani during a visit.
"No. I have more friends."
Susan Schofield looks crestfallen.
She and her husband, Michael Schofield, have brought French fries. Jani takes...
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Wow. Thats got to be horrible. My prayers for her and her family.
Heartbreaking.
They have found medications that help some since the 80's, but not a cure yet. Hopefully someday they will...
Maybe I should forward this to my parents with a note: See, it could have been worse for you.
bump
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