Conduct Disorder is a diagnosis applied to children and teenagers who consistently display certain characteristic behaviors over a period of time. The most common behaviors are aggression, lying, truancy, stealing, destructive behavior, bullying, vandalism, and cruelty to people and animals.
What Can Parents Do?
Antisocial behavior in children and adolescents is very hard to change after it has become ingrained. Therefore, the earlier the problem is identified and treated, the better. Some recent studies have focused on promising ways to prevent conduct disorder among children and adolescents who are at risk for developing the disorder. Most children or adolescents with conduct disorder are probably reacting to events and situations in their lives. More research is needed to determine if biology is a factor in conduct disorder.
Parents should:
- Pay careful attention when a child or adolescent shows signs of oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder and try to understand the reasons behind it. Then parents can try to improve the situation or their own reactions.
- Talk with a mental health or social service professional, such as a teacher, counselor, psychiatrist, or psychologist specializing in childhood and adolescent disorders (if parents cannot reduce their child's or adolescent's antisocial behavior on their own).
- Get accurate information from libraries, hotlines, or other sources.
- Talk to other families in their community.
- Find family network organizations.
It is important for people who are not satisfied with the mental health care they are receiving to discuss their concerns with the provider, to ask for information, and/or to seek help from other sources.
Source: National Mental Health Information Center, Conduct Disorder in Children and Adolescents
Related Resources:
How to Handle Your Child's Disruptive Behavior
Strategies for parents to cope with children's disruptive behavior problems.
Oppositional Defiant and Conduct Disorder Links
Additional resources for parents of children with oppositional and conduct disorder.
Elsewhere on the Web:
DSM-IV Diagnostic Criteria - Conduct Disorder
What the professionals use to diagnose this disorder.
