PSYCHOPATHOLOGY

Psychopathology

Psychopathology

Compare and Contrast Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder

The oppositional-defiant disorder is considered a precursor and a predisposing factor to the onset of Conduct Disorder (together with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD). The disorder is characterized by a mode of negative behavior, often hostile and provocative and is characterized by anger, disputes, challenges to the requirements and rules of adults, irritability, sensitivity, blaming others, resentment, revenge, and clinically significant impairment in social and academic functioning. As against this, the Conduct Disorder is more severe oppositional-defiant disorder. If it is not treated therapeutically, it can have severe repercussions. Its gravity can be judged from the fact that in adolescence and adulthood, males can be transformed into an Antisocial (related to delinquent behavior and criminal adults) and / or disorder in an abuse of substances (legal or illegal drugs), while in females, a depressive disorder or an anxiety disorder occurs in75% of cases. (American Psychiatric Association, 1994)

The early onset of Conduct Disorder is predictive of a worse prognosis, but early intervention in childhood has proved very effective and decisive for the positive development of the disorder. When the Conduct Disorder is treated in adolescence was particularly strong. The Conduct Disorder is a repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior in which they violated the rights of others and societal rules (for at least six months), with behavior characterized by bullying, threats, extortion, physical fights, use of weapons (such as sticks , bottles, knives, guns), cruelty to people (bullying) and animals, theft (e.g., break into buildings, cars or homes of others, stealing valuable items in the shops), muggings, sexual assaults, destruction of property (e.g., acts vandalism, or set it on fire with the intention of causing serious damage), and serious violations of rules (like pass out at night despite parental prohibitions, run away from home, and truancy). (American Psychiatric Association, 1994)

The characteristics of these disorders have lack of reflexivity, difficulty to take a different perspective than one's own, the absence of problem-solving skills, and the inability to activate thought processes (selection of targets, generation of alternatives solution, because of their possible consequences and subsequent implementation) which can lead to functional behavior. These children have big deficits and metacognitive mentalization (does not represent the mind of the other, does not reflect on their own, are not empathetic, have developed reflective function, do not know how to find their own strategies to regulate relations) and basically do not have the psychological resources to cope with critical events.

These patients need to be helped to develop the skills necessary to effectively manage external environmental stimuli and internal stimuli, through both action-oriented procedures (assertiveness training, relaxation techniques, etc.), and the internal representations or cognition (self-instruction to control impulsivity, problem solving, etc.)

Comparison of the neurobiology of addiction with the views of chemical dependency

Drug addiction is a chronic brain disease. The transition from one use "recreational" to addiction depends on complex interactions between genetic, environmental and socio-historical reasons. Our research aims to better understand the influence of the environment or exposure ...