Final answer:
Conduct disorder is a mental health disorder characterized by serious transgressions of societal norms for behavior. It falls into several categories and can have significant impacts on an individual's life. Conduct disorder can be specified based on the age of onset, with childhood-onset and adolescent-onset subtypes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Conduct disorder is a mental health disorder that is characterized by engaging in serious transgressions of societal norms for behavior. The behaviors of a child with conduct disorder fall into four categories: aggression to people and animals, destruction of property, deceitfulness or theft, and serious violation of rules. Approximately 3-7% of children and adolescents are diagnosed with conduct disorder. The DSM requires that conduct disorder be specified based on the age of onset, with childhood-onset conduct disorder beginning before the age of 10 and adolescent-onset conduct disorder beginning at age 10 or later. Childhood-onset conduct disorder often shows behavioral problems in preschool or early elementary school, while adolescent-onset conduct disorder continues to engage in antisocial behavior into adolescence and adulthood.
DSM allows another specifier for the diagnosis, with limited prosocial emotions, which can be applied to children who meet the full criteria for conduct disorder and show at least two of the following symptoms: lack of remorse or guilt, lack of empathy, lack of concern about performance at school or in other activities, and shallow or deficient emotions or using emotions to manipulate others. Conduct disorder is often associated with negative outcomes, such as engaging in criminal behavior, drug abuse, chronic unemployment, and being diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder as adults. It is important to note that there is also a less severe pattern of chronic misbehavior called oppositional defiant disorder, which is characterized by chronically negativistic, defiant, disobedient, and hostile behaviors.