Conduct Disorders:
New Information About Your Child's Behavior

Conduct Disorders can stem from a multitude of factors such as: genetics, brain damage, child abuse, school failure, and traumatic life experiences. If your child is referred to as a bully, a bad kid, or a delinquent, then they may suffer from conduct disorders. Behavioral signs that your child may suffer from conduct disorders are:

There are two types of conduct disorders: childhood onset conduct disorder and adolescent onset conduct disorder. Childhood onset conduct disorders occur before the age of 10 and is thought to be a more severe form of conduct disorder, carrying on into adulthood. Childhood onset conduct disorders are more likely to commit violent and victim oriented offenses. It is also said that conduct disorders comorbid (coexisting) with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are typically childhood onset. In fact, ADHD can be an early indicator of conduct disorders. Other factors that can indicate childhood onset conduct disorders are: meeting criteria for oppositional defiant disorder, being male, and having parents that demonstrate antisocial behavior. According to T. E. Moffitt from Psychological Review, "life-course persistent antisocial behavior (i.e. childhood onset conduct disorder) has its earliest roots in both neurological deficits and exposure to environmental risk, such as poor parenting and parental antisocial behavior. Neurological deficits give rise to difficult temperament that leaves the affected child vulnerable to poor parenting, as well as more likely to elicit poor parenting from caretakers."

Adolescent onset conduct disorders occur after the age of 10 and is typically not aggressive towards individuals or animals. Behaviors or misbehaviors in adolescent onset conduct disorders are more so to demonstrate autonomy and independence from parents and parental control. Skipping school, lying, destruction of property, and stealing are examples of adolescent onset. Exposure to deviant peers is what leads to adolescent onset conduct disorders most often and the conduct disorder usually ceases in early adulthood.

Treatments for childhood onset conduct disorders area very important to avoid future criminal and antisocial behaviors. If one criterion for a conduct disorder surfaces before the age of 10, then treatment should be sought out immediately. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a very strong indicator for future conduct disorders. Comorbid ADHD is two and half times more likely to have childhood onset conduct disorder than adolescent onset. Treatments include: behavior therapy and psychotherapy, special education for learning disabilities, parent management training (PMT), and pharmaceutical drugs (stimulant, non-stimulant, and antidepressants). The stimulant pharmaceutical drugs have unfortunate side effects such as: loss of appetite, weight loss, sleeping problems, irritability, rapid heart rate, elevated blood pressure, withdrawn behavior, tics, and suppression of growth. Also, antidepressant pharmaceutical drugs can be habit forming.