Conduct Disorder in Adolescents Essay -- Psychology Psychiatry Parenti

manners Disorder in AdolescentsEveryday we are hearing more and more about a claw or teen that has committed some horrible act. On Tuesday April 27, 2004 a twelve-year-old Georgia boy was arrested for allegedly using his hands to exit a third grader who disappeared while riding her bicycle(McLaughlin, 2004). In February, a twelve-year-old girl was beaten to unconsciousness by a group of adolescents and puppylike adults while at a birthday party in Baltimore. The query we must ask ourselves is where are the parents? Sadly, in the case of the Baltimore girl, integrity of the young person adults was the parent of one of the squirtren. How do shaverren learn that violent and socially deviant behavior is acceptable? Both of these scenarios would meet the criteria for a psychological finding of conduct disorder (CD). The diagnosis of conduct disorder in adolescents pot be directly attributed to the continuing lack of parental involvement and take hold in the childs life. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of psychic Disorders text revision 4th edition (DSM-IV-TR) states that the essential feature of Conduct Disorder is a repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior in which the basic rights of former(a)s or major age-appropriate societal norms or rules are violated(2000). The DSM-IV-TR goes on to list criteria for conduct disorder as, aggression to people or animals (i.e. forced sexual activity or mugging), destruction of property (i.e. zeal setting), deceitfulness or theft (i.e. burglary or forgery), and serious violations of the rules (i.e. running by for periods of time) (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). A child must drop at least three of those criteria present in the past year, with at least one manifested in the p... ...d do not get to see their parents until bedtime. In other cases, the child is left at home to look after and financial aid for their younger siblings. As a result, they neglect school and their own childho od. The tally of hatred and distrust that must build up in that child is immeasurable. It is apparent that the home-alone America trend will create a breading basis for conduct disorder. Moreover, society is heading towards creating a generation who may have little empathy and little concern for the feelings, wishes and well-being of others (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). A childs attachment to, respect for, and healthy fear of their parents is essential to the childs mental health throughout development. It is time that we take obligation for our own children and ourselves because if we dont, what will these children teach the next generation?