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The Challenge of Change with Conduct Disorder

I work at a juvenile placement facility for adolescent boys. Today, while we were walking to school, one young man decided to turn around and punch the kid behind him in the face. Pretty much just because he was angry. As I was filling out the incidence report, I noticed that the teen had been diagnosed with Conduct Disorder. It made me laugh. Currently at my facility, we have over 250 residents, all teenage boys between the ages of fourteen and twenty. If you look closely, I would guarantee that all but ten have been diagnosed with Conduct Disorder. What … Continue reading →

Diagnostic Criteria for Conduct Disorder

In previous articles on Conduct Disorder, we looked at some of the genetic and environmental elements which contribute to the development of this condition. Today we look at the diagnostic requisites for a formal diagnosis if conduct disorder. A. A persistent pattern of ignoring the basic rights of others. Age-appropriate rules are repeatedly violated. The presence of three of the following behaviors in the past 12 months, and at least one in the last six months is required. Bullies, threatens or intimidates others Initiates physical fights Uses weapons to facilitate fighting (such as knives, bats, broken bottles, etc) Is physically … Continue reading →

Conduct Disorder

Conduct Disorder is one of the newer categories appearing in the official DSM-IV-TR criteria. It has been specially created to describe and categorize children who engage in behaviors that violate societal rules. In effect, Conduct Disorder is a sub-category of Antisocial Personality Disorder which we will be discussing in coming articles. Many children with conduct disorder go on to become juvenile delinquents and have a higher than average rate of drug use. Unfortunately this early manifestation of antisocial behavior is a strong indicator that as the child reaches physical maturity, a diagnosis of Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD) may be given … Continue reading →

Eating Disorders and Our Relationship with Food

Did you know that binge eating is more common than anorexia or bulimia? A national survey was conducted by psychiatric researchers at Harvard University Medical School and McLean Psychiatric Hospital. Of the people surveyed, 3.5% of women and 2% of men were binge eating (eating beyond the point of fullness without vomiting). The results for those suffering from anorexia were .9% of women and .3% of men. Those suffering from bulimia were 1.5% of women and .5% of men. Nine thousand people were interviewed for this survey. It’s likely that the number of people suffering from these eating disorders is … Continue reading →

Have You Failed to Recognize Your Child’s Anxiety Disorder?

We assume that parents intuitively know when their child has a problem. Yet in about half the cases of childhood anxiety, mom and dad have failed to recognize what is going on (Berstein and Layne 2004). See if you’ve observed any of the following symptoms in your son or daughter (he or she may have several or many): The child: worries about as many as six things at a time. has difficulty falling asleep, unlike most children who are sleeping twenty minutes after going to bed. wakes in the night or early morning and can’t get back to sleep. has … Continue reading →

Adults with Asperger’s Disorder

In What is Asperger’s Disorder? we looked at an overview of this condition which forms one of the autistic spectrum disorders, a developmental disorder that influences how the brain processes information, particularly in the area of social cues. Much of the available literature on Asperger’s deals with the diagnosis and treatment of children with the disorder. Similar material can often be difficult to find on adult sufferers. This is largely due to the fact that the DSM-IV criteria for the diagnosis of Asperger’s is of relatively recent origin. The disorder was only distinguished as a condition in its own right … Continue reading →

“I Wish I Were Never Born.” Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder in Children

Like many childhood mental disorders, bipolar can be extremely difficult to properly diagnose. This is because bipolar disorder, which is sometimes called mania or manic depression, can mimic the symptoms of other disorders. Bipolar disorder may present with symptoms similar to conduct disorder or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Also, childhood bipolar disorder can manifest itself very differently from the symptoms we typically see in adults with the condition. In order for the diagnosis of bipolar disorder to be made, the symptoms must be causing the child serious problems at home and school. The child with bipolar disorder will have difficultly … Continue reading →

Conduct Disorder: A Frightening Reality

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When I first heard of conduct disorder, I wondered whether it was some conjured up name for kids who’ve been badly parented. I mean, honestly… “conduct” disorder? Have we gone so far with creating disorders and diseases that we’re giving bad behavior a medical excuse? But the symptoms of conduct disorder are so shockingly anti-social that, one must reason that something has gone wrong in the child’s psyche. This is not merely the case of a spoiled, manipulative child who throws tantrums. The child with conduct disorder has a surprising inability to feel empathy for other living things. This is … Continue reading →

“You’re not my BOSS!” Oppositional Defiant Disorder

Our family was on vacation, and my nine-year-old stepdaughter was up to her usual antics. It started with teasing her brother. As he screamed, I called her out of the room and made her sit at the kitchen table next to me. She began to get very mouthy and rude. I then had her sit on a chair, away from the activity of the family, for twenty minutes. That’s when she began a tirade of dramatic remarks, namely that I hated her, the whole family hated her, and that she was “always punished for no reason.” She screamed, stomped her … Continue reading →

Supporting a person with Panic Disorder (1)

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To be a support to a person suffering from Panic Disorder requires understanding and infinite patience. Panic attacks are very frightening ordeals; so frightening that a person will do anything to avoid having one. Panic attacks are beyond the normal experience of everyday anxiety and therefore are difficult for a person who has never experienced one to understand. However, people who suffer from regular panic attacks will voluntarily give up activities that they once enjoyed, such as going to the beach, the movies, even on holiday, just so they can experience peace rather than panic. Often they are forced to … Continue reading →