Introduction
As an integral part of the overall well-being, mental health plays an essential role in the lives of all individuals regardless of their age, gender, or social status. Taking into account that some mental health issues can result in decreased enjoyment of life and low self-esteem, healthcare providers recommend paying attention to the symptoms of unstable psychological health. For instance, conduct disorder (CD) is one of the most widely-known mental illnesses diagnosed among children and teens in the whole world. It is usually defined as an ongoing pattern of behavior marked by disruptive and violent actions.
On the one hand, all children and teens express aggression and violence at some point in their lives. It can be explained by the rapid release of hormones, as well as considerable psychical and psychological changes in their bodies. On the other hand, the inability of children to admit their mistakes and experience the feeling of guilt results in the development of CD. Mental health professionals recommend treating this illness in the earliest stages, as it can impair a person’s ability to function in the future. Therefore, people diagnosed with this mental health issue are more likely to face problems related to romantic relationships and holding a job than mentally stable individuals. In order to prevent legal issues and problems with education and relationships, it is important to take into consideration possible symptoms of CD.
Brief Information
CD is usually characterized by the intention of individuals to violate the rights of others and ruin socially accepted norms of behavior. Nowadays, approximately 10% of all children qualify for a diagnosis of CD (Comer & Comer, 2017). Moreover, this mental illness is more common among males than females in childhood. However, in the context of adulthood, both genders have the same likelihood of developing the symptoms of CD. Furthermore, people in cities are more likely to face this mental health issue than individuals living in rural areas, which can be explained by a higher amount of stress experienced by citizens of urban areas. In turn, if the symptoms of CD are ignored, it can result in the development of other mental health issues. For example, nearly 40% of children and adolescents diagnosed with CD are expected to be affected by antisocial personality disorder (APD) in adulthood (Pisano et al., 2017). Today, the APD is frequently represented by the long-term pattern of destructive behavior and emotional degradation. Adults diagnosed with APD are 2 times more likely to be charged with committing multiple types of crime than psychologically stable people (Patel et al., 2018). In addition, researchers and clinicians state that there are 4 main types of CD, which depend on the severity of symptoms. These types include the overt-destructive pattern, the overt-nondestructive pattern, the covert-destructive pattern, and the covert-nondestructive pattern (Comer & Comer, 2017). It is estimated that the type of CD is strongly associated with the causes of this mental illness.
In addition to physical and emotional aggression, the behavior of patients can be characterized by relational aggression. Its main problem is based on the fact that the signs of this kind of aggression are often ignored. At the same time, the intention of individuals to manipulate, spread rumors, and slander others are the primary symptoms of CD as well. Also, girls are more likely to be associated with this kind of aggression than boys. Accordingly, it is essential to note that CD is a major mental health illness that can significantly lower the quality of life.
Symptoms
Even though sometimes symptoms of CD can only be detected by a healthcare provider, parents of each child should pay attention to the most common signs of this health issue. In fact, the symptoms can vary depending on the gender and age of the child or adolescent, although some indicators of the illness are common for all people diagnosed with CD. For instance, the first group of symptoms is called aggressive behavior. In turn, this kind of behavior can be expressed through physical fights, cruelty to animals, the use of a weapon, and bullying. Nowadays, approximately 20% of students report being bullied on a regular basis, whereas almost one-half of all individuals have faced this problem at least once in their lives (Cantone et al., 2015). This problem has had a considerable effect on the psychical and emotional well-being of adults in the entire world. Moreover, taking into consideration that nearly 30% of all families with children have guns, a vast number of children diagnosed with CD can use the weapon, thereby, causing injuries to others (Wallace, 2017). The second group of symptoms of this mental health issue is represented by destructive behavior. It is usually associated with property loss or damage. Therefore, the majority of individuals engaged with vandalism can be disguised with CD.
As for the third group of symptoms, it is important to highlight deceitful behavior. This behavior has always been related to stealing, lying, and “conning” others (Masroor et al., 2019). Lastly, children and teens affected by this mental health issue are frequently engaged with the violation of accepted norms in society. For example, ignoring educational facilities and having uncontrolled sexual life are the most common representations of the violation of rules. Subsequently, if the life of a child or adolescent is based on these signs, parents should immediately seek medical help for their son or daughter. If these symptoms are experienced by an adult, it is an obligation of friends and other family members to provide appropriate help to this person by making an appointment with a doctor.
Causes
Despite the fact that the main causes of the CD are still unknown, some researchers have managed to determine risk factors for experiencing this health issue. In fact, the mix of external, genetic, biological, and emotional factors are predicted to cause this health condition. From the biological point of view, the CD can be regarded as the result of specific injuries to some areas of the human brain. In fact, some parts of the brain serve the functions of regulating behavior (Pisano et al., 2017). Once these areas are damaged, the person loses control over personal actions and critical thinking skills. Furthermore, the majority of people diagnosed with CD are also affected by other mental illnesses, such as ADHD, major depressive disorder, and anxiety. As a result, sometimes CD should be perceived as a complication of previous mental health issues.
In the context of genetics, it is important to note that CD can be inherited. Some research studies demonstrate that children living with family members affected by psychological illnesses are more likely to be diagnosed with the discussed disorder than others. As a result, to prevent the development of this health issue among children, parents should practice a healthy lifestyle. External factors play a prominent role in the prevalence of CD as well. For example, traumatic experiences and permanent stress are primary contributors to this mental illness. In this case, it is the obligation of parents to make the life of their child free of negative experiences. However, some cases, such as the death of a family member, can significantly affect the psychological well-being of teens and children. Therefore, social workers and mental health professionals should serve the functions of helping patients take advantage of the negative experience and prevent potential health issues.
In turn, issues related to cognitive processing belong to the group of psychological causes which can facilitate the process of illness development. It can be explained by the fact that people with CD are not capable of experiencing feelings of guilt and empathy. Lastly, the social causes of this mental health issue include a low social status and the inability to maintain a human connection with others due to discrimination and oppression. Thus, there is a variety of causes of CD, which can affect the psychological well-being of individuals.
Diagnosis
In order to diagnose a person with a CD, it is necessary to perform several procedures and assessment tests. First, doctors tend to analyze the medical history of the patient and experienced symptoms of the potential health issue. Once the conversation with a child is over, the doctor communicates with parents, teachers, and other adults who have been in a contact with a patent lately. Second, doctors usually take into consideration medical exams and specific tests to understand whether psychological issues are combined with physical problems. If the laboratory tests, such as blood and urine tests, demonstrate that the psychical health of the patient does not require treatment, this individual should be referred to the psychologist.
In turn, this individual will look for signs of other psychological issues, such as anxiety, depression, bipolar affective disorder, and paranoia. These problems can be detected by a specially trained individual with the help of personal interviews and evaluation tools. To diagnose a person with a CD, the patients should express the signs of aggression, theft, and vandalism in a period of 6 months. If 4 or more symptoms of the discussed disorder are noticed, the person can be fairly diagnosed with this mental illness (Masroor et al., 2019). However, taking into account that a patient can struggle with either mild, moderate, or severe forms of CD, the psychologists can be mistaken in the diagnosis.
In fact, the similarity of symptoms of major depressive disorder and CD frequently results in the inability of healthcare providers to detect the accurate problem. Therefore, psychologists, psychiatrists, and psychologists should cooperate in order to diagnose a patient with a specific health issue. Once the child or adult is diagnosed with this mental illness, various options of treatment should be discussed in the healthcare facility.
Treatment
The treatment plan for this condition can vary depending on the severity of the signs, the age of the patients, and their physical opportunities. In case the child experiences abusive behavior from the perspective of a family member, the social worker should place this person in a safe environment. Once all external factors of the negative impact are limited, the healthcare provider can begin the process of treatment. To treat the symptoms of the discussed disorder in the most effective way, doctors use a combination of different techniques.
First, psychotherapy is considered an integral part of the entire treatment, as it helps patients replace negative emotions and actions with positive thinking. For instance, psychologists usually take into account a mix of cognitive therapy and family therapy (Sagar et al., 2019). These treatment sessions are beneficial for creating a positive environment at home and encouraging the patient to analyze the consequences of aggression. Most frequently, psychologists recommend replacing negative thoughts with thoughts regarding hobbies and personal achievements. It is usually suggested to pay attention to football, dancing, painting, or running. Furthermore, these psychological techniques help children and adolescents change specific patterns of thinking by highlighting the importance of empathy and pain. At the same time, psychologists can use parent counseling sessions to provide adults with the appropriate information regarding the features of CD and the way it can be prevented in the future.
Second, psychologists can prescribe medications in case the patient suffers from additional mental health issues, such as ADHD, depression, and paranoia. The prescribed medications are usually aimed at regulating the emotions of anger, aggression, and impulsivity (Sagar et al., 2019). However, they are not prescribed in the majority of cases. It can be explained by the fact that there is still no evidence-based information related to the medications for the CD.
Simultaneously, treatment of this mental illness usually takes a long time due to the fact that establishing new attitudes and behavior patterns is a tremendously challenging task for both clinicians and parents. Moreover, sometimes severe and moderate forms of CD can not be treated to the fullest extent. Hence, it is easier to prevent the development of this health condition rather than treat it.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is important to note that CD can affect the well-being of any person, although children and adolescents are at the greatest risk of facing this health issue. Even though this illness can not be 100% prevented, parents and their children should pay attention to the earliest symptoms of this problem. In fact, the treatment of CD in the initial stages demonstrates the highest rates of effectiveness. In case it is left untreated, the person is likely to be engaged with school-related problems, legal issues, inadequate sexual life, ruined personal life, and suicide.
Thus, it is essential to increase the level of awareness of the CD symptoms. They include aggression, bullying, physical fights, cruelty to animals, and uncontrolled sexual activity. However, only a comprehensive evaluation by an experienced psychologist can assess the severity of the symptoms. Furthermore, the signs of this mental illness can be represented by vandalism, stealing, manipulations, and permanent lying. The main causes of this health condition still remain to be unknown, although some researchers highlight that there is a mix of different causes of CD. For example, genetic, biological, emotional, and external factors have a considerable effect on the development of this mental health issue. Subsequently, the CD can be described as a severe mental health problem that requires a vast amount of attention from the perspective of researchers, clinicians, as well as a general audience.
References
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