by Dannett Frey

Created on: December 25, 2008

Normal teenage rebellion or conduct disorder, is it easy to tell the difference? It is. Conduct disorder previously had been called delinquency. Now, it has its own diagnostic criteria in order to identify behaviors that are more serious than simple teenage rebellion.

The key to recognizing conduct disorder in teenagers really begins before a child becomes a teenager. A number of behaviors can manifest before the child turns 13. The behaviors listed below are included in the diagnostic criteria for conduct disorder. The diagnostic criteria are from the American Psychiatric Association DSM IV of Mental Disorders.

A) A repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior in which the basic rights of others or major age-appropriate societal norms or rules are violated, as manifested by the presence of three (or more) of the following criteria in the past 12 months, with at least one criterion present in the past six months:

AGGRESSION TOWARDS PEOPLE AND ANIMALS

o Often bullies, threatens or intimidates others

o Often initiates physical fights

o Has used a weapon that can cause serious physical harm to others (e.g., a bat, brick, broken bottle, knife, gun)

o Has been physically cruel to people

o Has been physically cruel to animals

o Has stolen while confronting a victim (e.g., mugging, purse-snatching, extortion, armed robbery)

o Has forced someone into sexual activity

DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY

o Has deliberately engaged in fire-setting with the intention of causing serious damage

o Has deliberately destroyed others' property (other than fire-setting)

DECEITFULNESS OR THEFT

o Has broken into someone else's house, building, or car

o Often lies to obtain goods or favors or to avoid obligations (i.e., "cons" others)

o Has stolen items of nontrivial value without confronting a victim (e.g., shoplifting, but without breaking and entering; forgery

SERIUOS VIOLATIONS OF RULES

o Often stays out at night despite parental prohibitions, beginning before age 13

o Has run away from home overnight at least twice while living in parental or parental surrogate home (or once without returning for a lengthy period)

o Is often truant form school, beginning before age 13 years

The disturbance in behaviors causes clinically significant impairment in social, academic, or occupational functioning

If the individual is age 18 years or older, criteria are not met for antisocial personality disorder.

What if you have seen some of these behaviors in a teenager? You should know that there are possible skills that can

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