Conduct disorder
A range of antisocial, emotional, and behavioral problems in children and teens.
Quick answer
Conduct disorder involves persistent patterns of antisocial and challenging behaviour in children and adolescents, often reflecting complex emotional, social, and neurodevelopmental factors. Trauma-informed family therapy, play therapy, and somatic approaches complement specialist paediatric support.
Do any of these feel familiar?
- Conduct disorder is experienced differently from the outside and from within
- From the outside, it presents as persistent patterns of aggressive behaviour, rule-breaking, destruction, deceit, or violation of others' rights
- From within — and particularly in retrospect — many adults with a history of conduct disorder describe having felt misunderstood, unsafe, or emotionally overwhelmed without the skills or environment to express or regulate those experiences
- Many describe trauma, chaotic environments, or significant unmet emotional needs as foundational to their behaviour
- The diagnosis carries significant social stigma and often results in punitive rather than therapeutic responses, which can compound rather than address the underlying experience
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