What are conduct disorders?
Conduct disorder is, once again, a blanket term used to cover a variety of maladaptive or antisocial or violent behaviors exhibited by individuals in inappropriate times. Conduct disorders may be a function of choice, which is to say that the person exhibiting the conduct disorder–let’s say defiance, for example–they may be choosing to exhibit that type of behavior, therefore they have some control over it. It differs from emotional disturbance in that students with emotional disturbance generally do not have any control over the behavior that they exhibit.
They are behavioral problems that occur in children and teenagers. These young people have a hard time following rules and behaving in socially acceptable ways. Because they are often viewed as “bad” or “delinquent,” they receive a negative reaction from others and will often behave even worse. Causes of these conduct disorders are unknown but may include brain damage, child abuse, growth defects, negative family and social experiences, and failure in school. Some children with a conduct disorder also have an attention deficit disorder or depression.
