Citation

Yeager CA, Lewis DO. Child Adolesc. Psychiatr. Clin. N. Am. 2000; 9(4): 793-813.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, USA. cyeager@ibm.net

Copyright

(Copyright © 2000, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

11005007

Abstract

This review of the psychiatric, neuropsychological, and familial contributions to aggressive behavior makes clear that conduct disorder is not a single diagnostic entity. It is, rather, the final common pathway of the interaction among a variety of different kinds of intrinsic vulnerabilities and environmental stressors. In every aggressive child all of these vulnerabilities (none of which necessarily meets full criteria for a specific DSM-IV diagnosis) and stressors must be considered and, if present, addressed systematically. We know that psychotic symptomatology, especially paranoia, combined with neuropsychological vulnerabilities and a history of severe abuse become a recipe for violence, and the more impaired the child, if abused, the more violent the child will become as an adolescent and adult. The clinician must, therefore, think of himself or herself as the only knowledgeable adult who will ever take the time to discover these ingredients and deal with the violent child positively and therapeutically.

Language: en