ABSTRACT
Conduct disorder (CD) differs from mood, anxiety, and psychotic disorders because the diagnosis is defined solely by the behavior of an individual as directed at others, their property, or the presence of other rule violations (see Table 1 for list of symptoms). The youth does not need to endorse any physiologic or mental distress to meet criteria for CD, although these youth often have poor self-esteem, are often irritable, and have rates of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and completed suicides that are higher than the general population. Conduct disorder differs from personality disorders, in that for most individuals, the pattern of defiant behaviors remits prior to adulthood, although for a subgroup of these youth, CD is a precursor to antisocial personality disorder and=or substance-related disorders. A second diagnosis that is defined by behavior, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), occasionally develops into CD. Conduct disorder is distinguished from ODD because the behaviors in CD are more confrontational and destructive, and because CD has a poorer prognosis.
