Focused issue on conduct disorder and aggressive behaviour

Excerpt

Conduct disorder (CD) and aggressive behaviour in children and adolescents show an increasing prevalence in Western societies [4, 8]. Children and adolescents dropping out of school or living in youth welfare institutions show a particularly high rate of CD, oppositional and aggressive behaviour [3]. CD and aggressive behaviour show phenotypic overlap, but are also distinct entities. Aggressive behaviour is a symptom of many psychiatric disorders, and also is an adaptive human behaviour related to the chance to survive. CD is a defined psychiatric disorder which comprises symptoms additional to aggression including rule breaking and dissocial behaviour, and can only be diagnosed if the related behaviour causes impairment for the individual and/or his/her family. CD poses a strong risk for detrimental adult outcomes, affecting individuals, their families, and society as a whole. Longitudinal studies following CD youth into early adulthood have found increased rates of failure to complete high school, high rates of early pregnancy, substance abuse, criminality, and health-related problems [5, 7]. In females with CD, additionally, high rates of early pregnancy have been described [9]. While evidence-based international clinical guidelines, which summarize the current state of the art regarding diagnosis and intervention of CD, such as NICE [10], emphasize a strong evidence for interventions in childhood; research on effective treatments of CD and aggressive behaviour in adolescence, and on preventive measures for detrimental adult outcomes is still in its infancy. Our understanding of the underlying neurobiology of CD remains rudimentary, and predictors of longitudinal outcomes associated with CD and aggression have rarely been studied despite their clinical and societal impact [6]. …