Pharmacotherapy for Children and Adolescents with Conduct Problems

Abstract

Conduct problems can be formally classified as 'disruptive behavior disorders' which include conduct disorder (CD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and disruptive behavior disorder not otherwise specified (DBD-NOS) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 4th edition. Conduct Disorder is a serious disorder which is characterized by persistent antisocial behavior and can be helpfully divided into early (before the age of 10 years) or late onset. Clinicians are often pessimistic about the effectiveness of treatment options available to manage CD and ODD; in particular, many are skeptical about the value of pharmacological treatments for managing CD and ODD, but is this skepticism justified? Each of the medications that have been used in the treatment of conduct problems will be systematically examined to evaluate the evidence supporting their use. The main groups that have been studied are the mood stabilizers, antidepressants, stimulants, selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, and antipsychotics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)