Conduct Disorders and Aggression Editorial

Last updated 5 January 2024
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This edition of The Bridge is on the topic of conduct disorders and aggression.

Behavioural difficulties are common presentations to child and adolescent mental health services. They also have impacts on the individual, their peers, family and the different environments that a child is exposed to e.g. home and school. Often behavioural difficulties are excluded from commissioned mental health services for children and young people. However, there are effective treatments and the longer a behavioural presentation is left untreated/unmanaged the more difficult it can be to change the entrenched behaviours.

Children and young people with conduct disorders often have additional comorbid learning difficulties, neurodevelopmental or mental health disorders, so it is important to be able to assess, recognise and offer appropriate interventions. The effects on a young person’s future and society may be significant if not managed well.

In this edition of The Bridge there are summaries of research from ACAMH’s journals written by the original authors and our in-house science writer; covering severe sibling aggression, delinquency and a review of the literature on psychosocial treatments for conduct disorder.

I hope that you enjoy reading them and please let ACAMH know your thoughts.

If you have any ideas for content or feedback on the bridge whilst I am acting as Guest Editor, please email me.

I hope you enjoy reading this edition of The Bridge please share it with colleagues, and a pdf version is available from the sidebar, plus look out for our Externalising/Internalising edition out next month.

Mark Lovell
Dr Mark Lovell is a Consultant Child and Adolescent Intellectual Disability Psychiatrist, Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust. He is an ACAMH Board Member and the Lead for CPD and Training.