Conduct Disorders 

As you might guess, “Conduct Disorders” are mental health conditions related to problem behaviors. There are three primary groups.

• Conduct and Oppositional Defiant Disorders
• Schizophrenia
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders, including attention deficit disorders

Two out of the three groups begin in childhood. The third appears in either childhood or adulthood.  

Group One Primarily Affects Children 

The first group includes two primary diagnoses, Conduct Disorder, and Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Children with these disorders show aggressive behavior that does not respond to correction. The behavior frequently occurs without provocation, and the child shows little or no desire to try to comply with the rules. People who know the child describe them as hostile and disruptive.  

Group Two is Schizophrenic Disorders

Schizophrenic conditions (Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder) fall into Group Two. Symptoms of Schizophrenia may begin to show up in late adolescence or early adulthood. Unfortunately, symptoms of hallucinations and delusions may be mistaken for drug use, preventing them from getting help early and obtaining needed treatment with appropriate medications.

Someone who has Schizophrenia may act bizarrely and make paranoid decisions. For example, they may push friends and family away by being mean to them. The individual can’t control this behavior. They may not even know what they are doing or how it affects others.  

They often hear voices and see or smell things that aren’t there. However, what they see, hear, or smell is as real to them as anything we see, hear, or smell is to us. Therefore, if you try to convince them they don’t see what they believe is there, they will likely get angry and either become aggressive or leave. Your best action is to divert their attention and move on to another subject.  

Group Three Affects Both Children and Adults

 (ADHD) Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or (ADD) Attention Deficit Disorder (without hyperactivity) are behavioral conditions that result from the brain’s inability to prioritize and manage thoughts and actions. Though once thought to be a childhood condition, it is apparent that both children and adults frequently suffer from these conditions.