Symptoms of Conduct Disorder: An Insight

Symptoms of Conduct Disorder: An Insight
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What is Conduct Disorder?

Conduct disorder is a condition in which children and adolescents display serious emotional and behavioral problems. It is not simply an occasional episode of acting out or defiance, but rather a long-term disorder in which the child or adolescent persistently exhibits violent, anti-social and destructive behavior that violates others’ rights, defies acceptable conduct and interferes with everyday life.

Conduct disorder is more prevalent in boys. It occurs in 6 to 16% of boys and 2 to 9% of girls younger than 18 years of age. There are two types of conduct disorder, distinguished by the age of onset. Childhood onset conduct disorder is defined by the child exhibiting some type of characteristic conduct disorder behavior before ten years of age. In teen onset conduct disorder, characteristic conduct disorder symptoms are not seen before 13 years of age. It is more likely for girls to develop conduct disorder when they are older than 12 years of age. When they grow up, children with conduct disorder are at risk of developing other types of personality disorders such as antisocial personality disorder, or engaging in chronic criminal behavior.

Symptoms of Conduct Disorder

Conduct disorder may be classified as mild, moderate or severe, depending on the seriousness of the behavior. All individuals who are diagnosed with conduct disorder will exhibit similar types of behaviors, but some conduct order symptoms will be more extreme than others. In diagnosing conduct disorder, a psychiatric evaluation may be necessary to distinguish it from oppositional defiance disorder, bipolar disorder, or other conditions that may have similar symptoms.

Conduct disorder symptoms are divided into four categories:

Aggression and Antisocial Behavior- Physical cruelty toward animals or people, verbal or physical abuse, bullying, threatening, intimidation, starting physical fights, forced sexual activity, mugging, purse-snatching, and use of a weapon capable of causing physical harm such as a bat, knife or gun.

Breaking Rules- Truancy from school or staying out late at night before the age of 13, running away from home and staying out overnight, or running away for an extended period of time, sexual activity at a young age.

Deceitfulness or Theft- Lying, stealing, forgery, shoplifting and breaking into a building, home, or vehicle.

Destructiveness- Vandalism, deliberately destroying property, arson.

Other, more general conduct order symptoms include low self-esteem, irritability, frequent temper tantrums, and use of drugs and alcohol. Children and adolescents with conduct disorder seem unable to understand why their behavior hurts others, and do not appear to feel guilty or remorseful. They do not make an effort to hide their unacceptable behavior.

It is recommended to have your child see a health care provider if he or she is excessively aggressive, has mood swings, bullies others, or constantly gets into trouble. Early intervention can be helpful to avert complications and increase the likelihood that the child will learn positive adaptive behaviors.

Sources

WebMD https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/mental-health-conduct-disorder

Encyclopedia of Children’s Health https://www.healthofchildren.com/C/Conduct-Disorder.html

Psych Central https://psychcentral.com/disorders/sx67.htm