Pathological Behavioral Problems In Children: How To Detect Them?
Behavioral disorders in children generally manifest themselves in the form of defiance towards figures that represent authority, although they can also occur towards their peers. Moments of aggression, both physical and verbal, are frequent, as well as recurring anger at any situation and arguments.
Children with this type of problem usually argue about anything and have a marked tendency to annoy those around them. If the pathological problem is serious, they can be regular protagonists of fights, and even become stalkers or commit thefts and have destructive behavior. Taking this into account, let’s look at the keys to detect pathological behavioral problems in boys and girls in time.
How to detect pathological childhood behavioral problems?
The consequences of this type of problem can be really harmful, both for the family environment and for the child himself, since he can commit acts that endanger his physical integrity.
For the family, the minor’s bad responses, as well as his disobedience, generate a sense of loss of authority that leads to discomfort and frustration. Next, we are going to explain what these pathological childhood behavioral problems consist of and how to detect them in order to avoid a possible complication.
What are pathological behavioral problems?
Estimates suggest that the percentage of young people between 13 and 17 years old who suffer from this type of disorder reaches 3.5%. But what is a pathological behavioral disorder?
These are disruptive disorders that inhibit the control of impulses, emotions and behavior to a certain extent. The behaviors that result from this violate (sometimes seriously) the rights of the people around them, as well as social norms.
There are many types of disruptive disorders; Among them, we can highlight intermittent explosive disorder, the one with an antisocial personality or the defiant negativist. Some can be especially worrying, such as pyromania or kleptomania. But, although there is a wide variety of subtypes (in addition to those not specified), in today’s article we will talk specifically about two of the most frequent: conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder.
What is oppositional defiant disorder?
It is quite common for children to present some complicated behaviors. However, when we refer to oppositional defiant disorder we are talking about a constant pattern of disobedience and anger towards the minor’s authority figures, which usually manifests itself only in one of the two areas, school or family.
In addition to patterns of irritability and conflict, we can also find resentment, which includes feelings of resentment and revenge. This type of disorder is more common in boys than in girls, and its prevalence rate is between 1 and 11%.
What is conduct disorder?
It is generally a continuation of the other disorder, oppositional defiant. Its onset occurs in late childhood or mid-adolescence, and the incidence rate ranges between 2 and 10%. What does this disorder consist of? It happens when the minor presents continuous patterns of aggression towards others, as well as violations of school and house rules and regulations. You can also display this type of pattern with your own peers. In more serious cases, violations may be against the law, leading to possible arrest of the minor. Furthermore, it is proven that young people who show this type of disorder have a greater chance of suffering physical damage. Some common behavior disorder attitudes are leaving home at night without permission from those responsible, skipping classes, showing unusual cruelty towards animals, compulsive lying, theft, etc.
How to detect these problems and how to treat them?
The question is: how to differentiate a normal childhood tantrum from a disorder of this type? The key is the frequency with which the child repeats this behavior. If the boy or girl shows any of these behaviors (or several) most days for a duration of approximately six months, and if, above all, if their daily activities are altered by it, we would be talking about a disorder.
The behaviors can range from constant conflicts with classmates and/or teachers to defiant responses when faced with the obligation to perform a task. If you detect any of these symptoms with the frequency described above, It is necessary to consult with a professional to diagnose the minor.
Well, we have already detected the behavioral problem in the child. Now what can we do?
Treatments that begin early have a much better chance of being effective, especially if they are correctly adapted to the needs of the minor and his or her family. First, we will have to talk to medical care, with the aim of carrying out a comprehensive psychological evaluation to determine an accurate diagnosis. Especially in cases where the minors are very young, Parental training in therapy is highly effective ; That is, parents learn from the therapist decisive ways to react to bad behavior.
On the other hand, if they are minors of school age or adolescents, it is advisable to combine training with therapy, which includes not only the child, but also the family and the school.
