What Are Conduct Disorders?
Conduct disorders are a group of behavioral and emotional disorders that are characterized by a disregard for others; conduct disorders can be classified based on their onset as childhood-onset and adolescent-onset. Children with conduct disorder exhibit classical behaviors like aggression, property destruction, and poor friendships. They usually present with violent behaviors. Others might consider such children stubborn and arrogant. The onset of the disorder is generally before the age of 10, and the children affected at an early age are at a greater risk of having difficulties with the disorder continuing for a prolonged duration due to its poor prognosis if left undiagnosed or untreated. Children with conduct disorders have difficulty following rules and behaving in socially acceptable ways.
What Are the Types of Conduct Disorders?
These disorders are classified based on the onset of the symptoms as follows:
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Childhood Onset: In most individuals, symptoms begin at the age of 10.
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Adolescent Onset: This is when the symptoms occur during the teenage.
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Unspecified Onset: This is when the exact age of the onset is unknown.
What Are the Symptoms of Conduct Disorders?
Individuals with conduct disorder mainly present with aggressive behaviors. They are often unwilling to follow the rules and are impulsive. Although symptoms of this disorder can help us reach a diagnosis, any individual can be considered to have conduct disorder when he presents with any of the following symptoms:
- Aggressive Conduct: A person with conduct disorder is usually very aggressive; the aggression can be towards anybody, a person, an object, or an animal. They also try bullying others, can end up using weapons, can turn so aggressive at times, and force another person into sexual activity.
- Dishonest Behaviors: Individuals with conduct disorders often have untruthful behaviors; they tend to lie without reason or are even found to be involved in acts like robbery, stealing, or breaking into others' property.
- Destructive Behavior: Destructive conduct comprises intentional damage to property that can be private or public.
- Violation of Rules: People with conduct disorders are never fond of abiding by rules and regulations. The subject experiences satisfaction in bunking school, breaking the rules, and running away from school.
- Enjoying Trouble-Causing: These children feel privileged for unknown reasons when they create problems or harm animals or people around them.
- Hurting Animals: These individuals not only harm people but also enjoy troubling or hurting animals.
Based on the severity of the symptoms, the disorder can be classified as mild, moderate, and severe. The disorder is considered mild when the symptoms are rarely displayed in routine behavior. The symptoms in mild cases include lying and other dishonest behaviors. The symptoms are considered moderate when a person's behavior is trouble to others, these individuals present with many behavioral problems. Patients with severe symptoms are considered threats to society and others; thus they require diagnosis and medical attention. The behavioral problems include rape, use of weapons, etc.
What Are the Causes of Conduct Disorders?
Genetics and social surroundings play an important role in the development of the disorder. It has been noted that children with conduct disorders have a malfunctioning or underdeveloped frontal lobe, which helps regulate cognitive skills like attention, problem-solving, emotional expression, etc. Thus these children face difficulty in controlling their impulses like anger or aggression. They even face difficulties planning future activities or analyzing the difference between good and bad. The surroundings in which a child grows also plays a vital role in the progress or onset of the disease. Children born and brought up in socially backward classes often experience abuse like drugs, abusive language, etc., and this surrounding environment plays a role in the development and progress of this disorder. If a child has experienced abuse during childhood or has a dysfunctional family, he is more likely to develop conduct disorders as a child or during his teenage years. Conduct disorders are most common in children with underlying mental health conditions.
How Are Conduct Disorders Diagnosed?
A mental health professional can diagnose the disorder; a child can be said to have conduct disorder when he presents with the symptoms of the disorder repeatedly, and at least one symptom has been presented in the past six months. The child diagnosed with conduct disorder also presents with abnormal behaviors in school or around friends.
What Are the Risk Factors Involved?
Risk factors are the conditions that accelerate or increase the likelihood of the development of the conduct disorder. Such factors include:
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The children belong to low socioeconomic backgrounds.
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Urban environment.
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Family history of conduct disorder.
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Abusive parents.
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The dysfunctional environment at home.
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Traumatic events in the past.
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Psychological disorders.
What Are the Treatment Options?
The treatment modalities in cases with conduct disorder include long-term therapies with the psychotherapist as these individuals require counseling and guidance in changing their outlook toward life and events; the initial treatment can help in slowing down the progression of the disorder and controlling further destructive behavioral actions. In addition, the therapies can help the child prevent further adulthood problems and help in coping and developing better relations with their partners, colleagues, and friends in the future. Patients who do not receive attention or treatment can have a miserable life for themselves and for the people around them. Therefore seeking help at the right time from the right people is mandatory.
Conclusion:
Conduct disorders are a group of emotional disorders that develop during childhood or sometimes as an adult; these individuals present with very aggressive behaviors, can lie, steal things, or can even cause distractions. The reason behind this can be the environment in which they grew up as children or the developmental anomaly in the frontal lobe of their brain; such individuals are treated with repetitive sessions of counseling and behavioral management to overcome the aggression and deal patiently with life. If left untreated, this disorder can prove a threat to society as it can cause violence or turn into robbers. Therefore timely medical help should be taken, which would help them become a positive person and lead happy life.
