Conduct disorder is a disorder of childhood and adolescence that involves long-term (chronic) behavior problems, such as: Defiant or impulsive behavior Drug use Criminal activity Children with conduct disorder may go on to develop personality disorders as adults, particularly antisocial personality disorder. As their behaviors worsen, these individuals may also develop drug and legal problems. Depression and bipolar disorder may develop in adolescence and early adulthood. Suicide and violence toward others are also possible complications of this disorder.

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Conduct Disorder

2. 1
Overview
Conduct disorder is a disorder of
childhood and adolescence that involves long-term
(chronic) behavior problems,
such as:
Defiant or impulsive behavior

3. 2
Overview
Drug use
Criminal activity
Children with conduct disorder may go on to
develop personality disorders as adults,
particularly antisocial personality disorder. As their
behaviors worsen, these individuals may

4. 3
Overview
also develop drug and legal problems.
Depression and bipolar disorder may develop
in adolescence and early adulthood. Suicide and
violence toward others are also
possible complications of this disorder.

5. 4
Symptoms
Children with conduct disorder tend
to be impulsive, hard to control, and not
concerned about the feelings of other
people.
Symptoms may include:

6. 5
Symptoms
Breaking rules without obvious reason
Cruel or aggressive behavior toward people or
animals
(for example: bullying, fighting, using dangerous
weapons, forcing sexual
activity, and stealing)

7. 6
Symptoms
Failure to attend school (truancy -- beginning
before
age 13)
Heavy drinking and/or heavy illicit drug use
Intentionally setting fires
Lying to get a favor or avoid things they have to do

8. 7
Symptoms
Running away
Vandalizing or destroying property
These children often make no effort
to hide their aggressive behaviors. They may have
a hard time making real
friends.

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Diagnoses
There is no real test for diagnosing conduct
disorder. The diagnosis is made when a child or
adolescent has a history of
conduct disorder behaviors.
A physical examination and blood tests can

10. 9
Diagnoses
help rule out medical conditions that are similar to
conduct disorder. Rarely,
a brain scan may also help rule out other disorders.

11. 10
Treatment
For treatment to be successful, the child's
family needs to be closely involved. Parents can
learn techniques to help
manage their child's problem behavior.
In cases of abuse, the child may need to be

12. 11
Treatment
removed from the family and placed in a less
chaotic home. Treatment with
medications or talk therapy may be used for
depression and attention-deficit disorder, which
commonly occur with conduct disorder.
Many "behavioral modification"

13. 12
Treatment
schools, "wilderness programs," and "boot camps"
are sold
to parents as solutions for conduct disorder. These
programs may use a form of
"attack therapy" or "confrontation," which can
actually be
harmful. There is no research to support these
techniques. Research suggests

14. 13
Treatment
that treating children at home, along with their
families, is more effective.
If you are considering an inpatient program,
be sure to check it out thoroughly. Serious injuries
and deaths have occurred
with some programs. They are not regulated in
many states.

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Causes
Conduct disorder has been associated with:
Child abuse
Drug
addiction or alcoholism in the parents
Family

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Causes
conflicts
Genetic
defects
Poverty
The diagnosis is more common among boys.
It is hard to know how common the disorder

17. 16
Causes
is, because many of the qualities needed to make
the diagnosis (such as
"defiance" and "rule breaking") can be hard to
define. For
an accurate diagnosis, the behavior must be far
more extreme than simple
adolescent rebellion or boyish enthusiasm.

18. 17
Causes
Conduct disorder is often associated with
attention-deficit disorder. Both conditions carry a
risk for alcohol or other
drug addiction.
Conduct disorder also can be an early sign of
depression

19. 18
Causes
or bipolar disorder.
Children who have severe or frequent symptoms
tend to have the poorest outlook. Expectations are
also worse for those who
have other illnesses, such as mood and drug abuse
disorders.

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Prevention
The
sooner the treatment for conduct disorder is
started, the more likely the child
will learn adaptive behaviors and prevent some of
the potential complications.
See your health care provider if

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Prevention
your child:
Regularly gets in trouble
Has mood swings
Is bullying others or cruel to animals
Is being victimized

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Prevention
Seems to be overly aggressive
Early treatment may help.