Looking for the disorder in conduct disorder

Besides their well-known externalizing behavior, children with conduct diso rder (CD) often have additional impairments outside the criteria for the CD diagnosis. In a 5-year study of 984 treated children (ages 5-17 years), th ose with CD had an average of 2.2 primary diagnoses. Children with CD showe d the worst problem and impairment scores in comparison with 11 common diag noses. Compared with other treated children, children with CD achieved wors e scores on 14 of 15 syndromes, including internalizing problems such as wi thdrawal and major depression. The average child with CD had larger relapse scores in the 1.5- to 3-year period after admission to treatment. This pat tern, pervasive at intake and chronic in course, resembles a global disabil ity more than a circumscribed problem managed with a narrow range of treatm ents specific to it.