行為障害 : 症例と考察

Conduct disorder is characterized by repeated and continual antisocial behavior by children and adolescents. In this article we report a patient of this disorder who was referred to our hospital for psychiatric evaluation and briefly summarize the present understanding of the cause, treatment and prognosis of this disorder. The cause of conduct disorder consists of three major factors ; biological, environmental and mental factors. Conduct disorder may have a relation to attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD). Children with AD/HD tend to develop oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder in adolescents stage and then antisocial personality in adult stage. It is often difficult to improve symptoms of conduct disorder only with psychological treatment. Pharmacological treatment must be considered in some cases to ameliorate impulsiveness and aggression that may have organic origin. Early psychiatric intervention may be helpful in the treatment of conduct disorder.