Guidance
This guideline covers recognising and managing psychosis and schizophrenia in children and young people. It aims to improve early recognition of psychosis and schizophrenia so that children and young people can be offered the treatment and care they need to live with the condition.
Last reviewed: 19 September 2024
We added links to relevant technology appraisal guidance in the sections on first episode psychosis and subsequent acute episodes of psychosis or schizophrenia. This is to provide easy access to relevant guidance at the right point in the guideline only and is not a change in practice.
In May 2024, we simplified the guideline by removing recommendations on general principles of care that are covered in other NICE guidelines (for example, the NICE guideline on service user experience in adult mental health). This is a presentational change only, and no changes to practice are intended.
Future updates: We have checked the evidence and plan to update recommendations on antipsychotic medication to cover add-on therapies for antipsychotic-induced weight gain. For more information, see the surveillance decision.
Recommendations
This guideline includes recommendations on:
- working safely and effectively with children and young people
- referring, assessing and treating possible psychosis
- referring, assessing and treating first-episode psychosis
- treating acute exacerbations or recurrences of psychosis or schizophrenia
- referring children and young people who are in crisis and managing challenging behaviour
- promoting recovery in primary care and secondary care
Who is it for?
- Healthcare professionals working with children and young people who have, or might have, psychosis and schizophrenia
- Children and young people who have, or might have, psychosis and schizophrenia, their families and carers
Guideline development process
How we develop NICE guidelines
Your responsibility
The recommendations in this guideline represent the view of NICE, arrived at after careful consideration of the evidence available. When exercising their judgement, professionals and practitioners are expected to take this guideline fully into account, alongside the individual needs, preferences and values of their patients or the people using their service. It is not mandatory to apply the recommendations, and the guideline does not override the responsibility to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual, in consultation with them and their families and carers or guardian.
All problems (adverse events) related to a medicine or medical device used for treatment or in a procedure should be reported to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency using the Yellow Card Scheme.
Local commissioners and providers of healthcare have a responsibility to enable the guideline to be applied when individual professionals and people using services wish to use it. They should do so in the context of local and national priorities for funding and developing services, and in light of their duties to have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, to advance equality of opportunity and to reduce health inequalities. Nothing in this guideline should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with complying with those duties.
Commissioners and providers have a responsibility to promote an environmentally sustainable health and care system and should assess and reduce the environmental impact of implementing NICE recommendations wherever possible.