A conduct disorder is a recurring and lasting pattern of disturbing behavior outside of the normal childhood behavior. It is a real psychiatric disorder in childhood and adolescence. It is not just the disobedience and disrespect that children most often show. Children and teens with this problem have great trouble following rules. They are often labeled “delinquent.” But this condition is considered a mental illness.
Symptoms of this disorder include:
-
Consistent pattern of defiance and disobedience
-
Repeatedly loses temper easily
-
Always seems angry and resentful
-
Blames others for their mistakes
-
Excessively selfish and insensitive to the feelings of others
-
Bullying, picking fights, or use of weapons to cause harm to others
-
Cruelty to people or to animals
-
Stealing
-
Deliberate destruction of property (for example, fire-setting)
-
Breaking into other people’s property
-
Lying
-
Running away from home
-
Frequent truancy from school
It is important that your child or teen has a psychiatric evaluation to develop a plan for treatment. This problem is hard to treat. Early treatment offers the best chance. The goal is to address anger and bring about a change in attitude and behavior. Parents can also benefit from therapy. It can help you with your own feelings. It can also teach you how to best support your child in making changes.
Home care
Here is what you can do at home:
-
Work closely with your child's teachers and the school's mental health professionals. Develop a school multidisciplinary team (teacher, principal, psychologist, mental health provider, social worker, or nurse) to help both your child and your family manage the disruptive behaviors.
-
Listen without giving advice or trying to fix the problem.
-
Talk about the difference between right and wrong behaviors. Model appropriate behavior.
-
Focus on the important issues like safety concerns. Don’t overreact to the minor things.
-
Hold your ground. When you take a position, don’t give in just to be a friend. Holding a strong and consistent boundary is more important than pleasing during this stage of your child's life.
-
Acknowledge your child's anger without trying to make a point. ("Sounds like you are really angry about that..."). Realize that there are some things that you won't ever agree on. Allow for that.
Follow-up care
Follow up with your child's healthcare provider, or as advised. Maintain good communication with your child's school. You can then make changes in treatment as soon as needed.
Call or text 988 in a crisis
Call or text
When to get medical advice
Call your child's healthcare provider right away if any of the following occur:
-
Situations where you know or suspect your child has become a danger to himself or herself or others (teeth marks, head injuries, or bruises on the child with the behavior issue, their siblings, or other children)
-
Attacks on you or other adults
-
Cruelty to animals
-
Expulsion from school
-
Being barred from playgrounds by other parents or neighbors
Featured in
