Conduct disorder is a serious behavioral and emotional disorder that may occur in children and adolescents. A toddler with this disorder may exhibit a pattern of disruptive and violent behavior and have problems following rules.
It shouldn't be unusual for kids and adolescents to experience behavioral problems in some unspecified time in the future during their development. However, behavior is taken into account a behavioral disorder if it lasts for a very long time and violates the rights of others, violates recognized behavioral norms and disrupts the on a regular basis lifetime of the kid or family.
Symptoms of conduct disorder vary depending on the kid's age and whether the disorder is mild, moderate, or severe. In general, symptoms of conduct disorder fall into 4 general categories:
- Aggressive behavior: These are behaviors that threaten or cause physical harm. This can include fighting, bullying, cruelty to others or animals, the usage of weapons, and forcing others to have interaction in sexual intercourse.
- Destructive behavior: This involves intentional destruction of property similar to arson (intentional arson) and vandalism (damaging one other person's property).
- Fraudulent behavior: This can include repeatedly lying, shoplifting, or breaking into homes or cars with the intent of stealing.
- Violation of the foundations: These are violations of accepted social rules or behavior that doesn't correspond to the person's age. These behaviors may include running away, skipping school, playing pranks, or engaging in sexual intercourse at a really young age.
In addition, many children with behavioral problems are irritable, have low self-esteem, and are inclined to throw tantrums steadily. Some may abuse drugs and alcohol. Children with conduct disorder are sometimes unable to understand how their behavior may hurt others and customarily feel little guilt or remorse once they hurt others.
The exact explanation for conduct disorder shouldn't be known, but a mix of biological, genetic, environmental, psychological and social aspects are thought to play a task.
- Biological: Some studies suggest that defects or injuries to certain areas of the brain can result in behavioral problems. Behavioral disorders are related to specific brain regions involved in regulating behavior, impulse control, and emotions. Symptoms of behavioral disorder can occur when the nerve cell circuits along these brain regions don't function properly. In addition, many children and adolescents with a conduct disorder also suffer from other mental illnesses similar to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), learning disorders, depression, substance abuse, or an anxiety disorder, which may contribute to the symptoms of a conduct disorder.
- Genetics: Many children and adolescents with behavioral disorders have close relations with mental illnesses, including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, substance disorders, and personality disorders. This suggests that susceptibility to behavioral disorders could also be a minimum of partially inherited.
- Environment: Factors similar to dysfunctional family life, childhood abuse, traumatic experiences, family history of substance abuse, and inconsistent parental discipline can contribute to the event of conduct disorder.
- Psychologically: Some experts imagine that behavioral disorders may reflect problems with moral consciousness (particularly lack of guilt and remorse) and deficits in cognitive processing.
- Social: Low socioeconomic status and lack of peer acceptance look like risk aspects for the event of conduct disorder.
It is estimated that 2-16% of kids within the United States suffer from a behavioral disorder. It is more common in boys than girls and mostly occurs in late childhood or early teens.
Like adults, mental illnesses in children are diagnosed based on signs and symptoms that indicate a particular problem. If symptoms of a behavioral disorder are present, the doctor may begin the assessment by taking a whole medical and psychiatric history. A physical examination and laboratory tests (e.g., imaging tests, blood tests) could also be appropriate if there may be concern that the symptoms could also be attributable to a physical illness. The doctor can even search for signs of other disorders that always occur together with behavioral problems, similar to ADHD and depression.
If the doctor cannot discover a physical cause for the symptoms, he or she is going to likely refer the kid to a baby and adolescent psychiatrist or psychologist, mental health professionals who're specifically trained to diagnose and treat mental illness in children and adolescents. Psychiatrists and psychologists use specially designed interview and assessment tools to screen a baby for a mental disorder. The doctor bases his diagnosis on reports of the kid's symptoms and his commentary of the kid's attitudes and behavior. The doctor often relies on reports from the kid's parents, teachers, and other adults because children may withhold information or produce other reasons for difficulty explaining their problems or understanding their symptoms.
Treatment for conduct disorder relies on many aspects, including the kid's age, the severity of symptoms, and the kid's ability to take part in and tolerate certain therapies. Treatment normally consists of a mix of the next measures:
- psychotherapy: The goal of psychotherapy (a type of counseling) is to assist the kid express and control their anger more appropriately. A style of therapy called cognitive behavioral therapy goals to reshape the kid's considering (cognition) to enhance problem-solving skills, anger management, moral reasoning skills, and impulse control. Family therapy may help improve family interactions and communication between relations. A special therapy technique called Parent Management Training (PMT) teaches parents tips on how to make positive changes to their child's behavior at home.
- Medication: Although there is no such thing as a medication officially approved to treat behavioral disorders, various medications could be used (off-label) to treat a few of their distressing symptoms (impulsivity, aggression, dysregulated mood), in addition to every other mental health conditions that could be present, similar to ADHD or major depression .
If your child is showing symptoms of a behavioral disorder, it is rather necessary that you just seek medical attention from a certified doctor. A toddler or adolescent with a behavioral disorder is vulnerable to developing other mental health disorders as an adult if left untreated. These include antisocial and other personality disorders, mood or anxiety disorders, and substance use disorders.
Children with a behavioral disorder are also vulnerable to school problems, similar to: E.g., failing or dropping out of faculty, substance abuse, legal problems, injury to self or others through violent behavior, sexually transmitted diseases, and suicide. Treatment outcomes can vary widely, but early intervention may help reduce the chance of incarceration, mood disorders, and the event of other comorbidities similar to substance abuse.
Although it is probably not possible to stop behavioral disorders, recognizing and treating symptoms once they occur can minimize distress to the kid and family and forestall lots of the problems related to the condition. Additionally, providing a nurturing, supportive, and consistent home environment with a balance of affection and discipline may help relieve symptoms and forestall episodes of disruptive behavior.