Conduct Disorder - CD

Conduct Disorder Overview

• Definition: Conduct Disorder (CD) is characterized by a pattern of behavior that violates the basic rights of others or major societal norms and rules.
  • Diagnosis requires at least 3 symptoms in the last 12 months.
• Key Symptoms:
  • Aggression towards people or animals.
  • Destruction of property.
  • Deceitfulness or theft.
  • Serious violations of rules (at least 1 symptom in the last 6 months).

Aggression Types (Frick, 1993, 2012)

• Various forms of aggression within Conduct Disorder are categorized:
  • Destructive vs. Nondestructive actions.
  • Overt (visible) vs. Covert (hidden) behaviors.
  • Reactive (responding to provocation) vs. Proactive (premeditated actions).
  • Relational aggression (damaging peer relationships).

Types of Conduct Disorder (Moffitt et al., 2001)

1. Childhood-onset Conduct Disorder:

• More pronounced aggression.
• Often displays limited prosocial emotions.
• Predominantly affects boys more than girls.
• Shows multiple problems and is more resistant to treatment.
• Described as "life course persistent".

2. Adolescent-onset Conduct Disorder:

• Less aggressive behavior compared to childhood-onset.
• More covert behaviors.
• Rates between boys and girls are similar.
• Fewer co-morbidities and less likelihood to persist.
• Referred to as "adolescent limited".

Severity Specifications

• Severity can be categorized into three levels:
  • Mild: Minimum symptoms, leading to minor harm.
  • Moderate: More symptoms than required, resulting in intermediate harm.
  • Severe: Significant number of symptoms, leading to considerable harm.