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Conduct disorder (CD) is a disorder of childhood and adolescence that comprises a pattern of persistent and repetitive aggressive behavior. While a bit of stubbornness and defiance are common among children, in this, the disobedient behavior and rule-breaking is more severe than one would expect. The child has no regard for the fundamental rights of others. They may constantly violate societal norms. Individuals affected by this condition can find it difficult to abide by the rules and behave in a socially acceptable manner.
Alongside, there is aggression toward people and cruelty toward animals. This could include physical fights or even an urge to use weapons. There could also be an urge to destroy things or set them on fire. Additionally, there may be an undying impulse to go against authority and disobey the rules.
Children suffering from this have very aggressive, impulsive behavior. They may get involved in activities that are against the law. They usually wouldn't have any regard for authority or rules. They might struggle in school as it represents an institution of authority and comprises rules. As a result, their education and performance can suffer. Along with that, maintaining friendships might be challenging.
On this page
About Conduct Disorder
About Conduct Disorder
Therapists / Counselors for Conduct Disorder
FAQs
Mental Health Care for Conduct Disorder
Major Causes
Common Signs in Children
Risk Factors
How to Deal With Your Symptoms
Get Treatment From a Licensed Therapist Who’s Right For You
Schedule a Virtual Psychotherapy Appointment with a Counsellor Today
Conduct disorder (CD) is a disorder of childhood and adolescence that comprises a pattern of persistent and repetitive aggressive behavior. While a bit of stubbornness and defiance are common among children, in this, the disobedient behavior and rule-breaking is more severe than one would expect. The child has no regard for the fundamental rights of others. They may constantly violate societal norms. Individuals affected by this condition can find it difficult to abide by the rules and behave in a socially acceptable manner.
Alongside, there is aggression toward people and cruelty toward animals. This could include physical fights or even an urge to use weapons. There could also be an urge to destroy things or set them on fire. Additionally, there may be an undying impulse to go against authority and disobey the rules.
Children suffering from this have very aggressive, impulsive behavior. They may get involved in activities that are against the law. They usually wouldn't have any regard for authority or rules. They might struggle in school as it represents an institution of authority and comprises rules. As a result, their education and performance can suffer. Along with that, maintaining friendships might be challenging.
FAQs
As per a 2021 study, the global prevalence of CD was found to be 8%, with more boys suffering from it than girls.
There are a lot of overlapping signs in these two conditions. Anger, irritability, and resentful nature are common in both. Along with this, dislike for authority also overlaps. The one critical extra feature of CD is - the urge to control others, either consciously or subconsciously.
There are two main types of CDs, and the child exhibits symptoms based on the type. The different types are; childhood-onset and adolescent-onset. In the childhood-onset type, abnormal behavior starts before age 10 (young children). The adolescent-onset type begins between the ages of 10 and 18 (late teen or early adulthood). Typically, the earlier the symptoms appear, the more severe the behavioral problems are.
There is another type called unspecified-onset. In this, the child's age at which symptoms appear is not known.
Occasional simple misbehaviors inconsistent with the criteria are not a sign of this disorder. The intention with which the action was carried out also matters.
Here, it is crucial to make a distinction between socialized and unsocialized CDs. In the socialized type, the child maintains good relationships. They may even engage in other behaviors with other children. This may be less worrying than the unsocialized children with conduct disorder. This is because they don't have peer relationships and commit aggressive, rule-breaking and disobedient behaviors in solitude. They may even show lower levels of guilt and remorse about their actions.
Yes, children affected by this are likely to suffer from other mental health conditions. One of the most common would be Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). They are also at a greater risk of depression and anxiety-related conditions. These might go unnoticed because the focus often stays on behavioral problems.
Mental Health Care for Conduct Disorder
When children have this behavioral disorder, they are generally at risk of carrying this into adulthood. This can bring a myriad of difficulties for them. The workplace replaces school as an institution with rules. This may bring a difficulty to the job. Furthermore, long-term relationships can become hard to foster.
Recognizing if your child is not doing well in school is essential. It is also important to be aware of whether your child is indulging in potential criminal activities which could necessitate legal action. Suppose they are constantly bullying someone or getting into fights, or if they find hurting animals entertaining. These complexities can exacerbate the symptoms of many potentially significant difficulties.
As per the American Psychiatric Association, the following are the criteria for diagnosing this disorder in individuals:
- Presence of at least 3 of the 15 symptoms for the past year, with one sign being present for the past six months.
- The behavior causes clinically significant impairment in academic, social, and occupational functioning.
- If they are older than 18, a mental health professional will give a diagnosis of ASPD instead of conduct disorder.
If your child fits the criteria, it may be time for you to take a professional's help. If you have been receiving complaints about your child's destructive and aggressive behavior, you should get in touch with a therapist. Repeated detention, suspension, or drop in grades for school-aged children could also hint at this condition. A professional can guide the patient on how to express their emotions appropriately. The sooner you get help, the sooner your child can learn adaptive behavior. Early intervention can make the process easy. However, delays can result in a poorer prognosis.
Treatment can last for months. Since children with CD disregard authority, they might be uncooperative. This makes treatment even more challenging and complex. But with the help of a specialist, it is manageable. A dedicated treatment program by a mental health professional, along with support from parents, can help the child overcome this condition.
Major Causes
Genetic, biological, and environmental factors can be responsible for developing conduct disorder.
Genetic and biological factors are:
- An impaired frontal lobe of the brain can result in poor cognitive skills. This may be due to genetics or injury. The lack of cognitive ability can be a cause of this.
- Maternal psychopathology or stress during pregnancy can cause behavioral and emotional problems in childhood. It may also affect cognitive and motor development.
- Children with blood relatives with mental illnesses like anxiety and mood disorder are more at risk.
- Parents diagnosed with alcohol use disorder, bipolar disorder, ADHD, depression, or schizophrenia.
Owing to this, a child may inherit some personality traits that are similar to this disorder. That could be a result of genes since the frontal lobe is essential for cognitive skills, and a problem with this could interfere with the child's ability to perceive danger and learn from negative experiences. Problem-solving and emotional expression takes a hit. Along with this, it may also cause:
- Lack of control over impulses.
- Reduced ability or even an inability to plan for future events.
Environmental and social factors are as follows:
- Past traumatic experience
- Childhood abuse
- Past school failure
- Neglect or rejection by parents/caregivers or unacceptance by peers
- Overly harsh or ineffective disciplining by caregivers
- Social problems like poverty or excess exposure to violence
- Peer delinquency
- A dysfunctional family
Common Signs in Children
Common signs of this disorder fall into four categories. These four make up the spectrum of disruptive behavioral disorders. They are:
- Physical violence: This includes intimidating behavior and aggression toward others. Affected individuals will find satisfaction from hurting people and animals on purpose. They may also indulge in arsonist activities and usage of weapons for their gratification.
- Manipulation or lying: Any sort of deceitful behavior comes under this. Stealing, breaking and entering, forgery, or any such behavior could be signs of conduct disorder. Frequent shoplifting is also a sign.
- Destructive conduct: At times, this is a by-product of aggression. This includes arson, vandalism, and other such criminal activities. Behavior that leads to damage to property comes under this.
- Serious violation of rules: This includes having no regard for authority at home or school. Signs could be running away from home (truancy), skipping school, breaking curfew, and sexual activity at a young age. Indulging in drug and substance abuse could also be a symptom of conduct disorder.
Lack of empathy toward others, risk-taking attitude, and physical injuries from fights could also be indications. The exact signs may vary from child to child. But a child must display at least one or more of the above-mentioned behavioral patterns to be diagnosed with this. It can be hard to distinguish these from the typical behavior of younger children. At times, all children will act out, but if they have a persistent pattern of behavior, you need to consult a doctor. The intensity and frequency will determine the severity.
Risk Factors
Based on the causes, the following factors increase the likelihood of a child developing this condition:
- Being brought up in a dysfunctional, chaotic, and poor household.
- Suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other psychiatric disorders.
- Indulging in substance abuse
- Having an inadequate parental supervision
- Having family members with a history of anxiety disorder or any other mental health disorders
- Parents having a substance use disorder
- Attention-deficit disorder
How to Deal With Your Symptoms
Disruptive behavior can be tough to handle for any parent. Seeing your child indulge in such inappropriate activities could be frustrating and infuriating. But as a parent, you need to realize that its possibly also harms the child. They might be suffering as much. The first step is to involve a child psychologist and let them study the child's behavior. Following are some effective ways that can help you deal with symptoms in the meanwhile:
- Pay more attention to good behavior: Sometimes a child misbehaves repeatedly for attention. Their negative actions get them more attention. Instead of focusing on them, shift your attention to positive behavior. Give praise for every little positive action. This may discourage them from their misbehavior and encourage a positive change.
- Set firm rules about boundaries: Make sure to explain what is acceptable and what is not clear. Also, let them know that there will be consequences for bad behavior.
- Point out their strength: Reminding and reassuring them about what they are good at will build their self-esteem. It will also encourage them to work around those strengths.
- Push them for physical activities: Physical exercises can help release excess energy. It also helps in garnering and utilizing energy in a healthy way. Sports can be a good way of socializing as well. They nurture values like team spirit and respect for others. Along with this, they keep mental problems like depression away.
Get Treatment From a Licensed Therapist Who’s Right For You
A healthcare provider will evaluate the child's condition after looking at a detailed history of the child's behavior. The diagnosis of conduct disorder will require a review of historical data along with other biological, social, and psychological factors. Treatment will depend on the child's age, symptoms, and general health. If child abuse is the cause of it, then the child will be placed in a different environment. In other cases, they may involve the parents and teach them how to manage the child's behavior.
Based on the clinical interview and psychological testing, the treatment options could include the following:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy: The child learns how to control their impulses. Their communication and problem-solving skills improve.
- Multisystemic therapy: This focuses on the environment of the child. The school, teachers, and family are involved in promoting positive behavioral change.
- Family therapy: This works on increasing communication and interaction among family. This helps in resolving conflicts and promoting a positive environment for growth.
- Medication: These are primarily for some mental health-related symptoms or any other condition resulting from this disorder.
- Individual psychotherapy: The focus is on treating personality and emotional problems to help an individual function better and reduce symptoms of other mental illnesses.
Schedule a Virtual Psychotherapy Appointment with a Counsellor Today
It can be scary to find out that your child might have a mental disorder at such a young age. But with timely intervention, it is nothing to worry about. If you feel your child is displaying the symptoms, contact a counselor at DocVita. They will be able to give you a better idea after a detailed study of your child's behavior.
Once diagnosed, our trusted therapists and counselors can suggest a treatment plan. They can suggest ways to manage the symptoms as they work on the treatment.
Book an appointment now!