Psych Vivas · Child and adolescent psychiatry — disruptive behaviour
Conduct and oppositional disorders — structured clinical viva
Fellowship viva on severe CD: CU traits, ADHD, MST ecology, limited pharmacotherapy, risk and ASPD trajectory.
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Target exams
Interpretation
Reveal interpretation
This is severe multi-domain conduct disorder with possible limited prosocial emotions, incomplete ADHD treatment, antisocial peers and parental demand for a pharmacological quick fix. Do not collude with tablet-only care. Reconfirm CD criteria, onset before age 10, CU features across settings, ADHD adherence barriers, substances, weapons, victimisation of others, and child protection issues.[3]
Psychosocial core. Parent management training elements and school/peer interventions remain necessary; for justice-involved multi-system problems, outline MST ecology: home-based intensity, caregivers as primary agents, dismantling antisocial peer reinforcement, 24/7 crisis availability in true MST models, and fidelity. If branded MST is unavailable, still apply multi-system intensity rather than weekly individual counselling alone.[2][5]
Medication. Optimise ADHD treatment and adherence first. Antipsychotics only for severe residual aggression with monitoring and time limits — not for "attitude."[4]
Trajectory. Childhood-onset CD with CU traits and adversity maps to higher life-course-persistent risk, including adult antisocial outcomes — communicate elevated risk without declaring inevitable ASPD; offer concrete change levers.[1][6]
Key points
[2] [3] [4]References
- [1]Moffitt TE Adolescence-limited and life-course-persistent antisocial behavior: a developmental taxonomy Psychol Rev, 1993.PMID 8255953
- [2]Henggeler SW, Schaeffer CM Multisystemic Therapy: Clinical Overview, Outcomes, and Implementation Research Fam Process, 2016.PMID 27370172
- [3]Frick PJ, White SF Research review: the importance of callous-unemotional traits for developmental models of aggressive and antisocial behavior J Child Psychol Psychiatry, 2008.PMID 18221345
- [4]Gorman DA, Gardner DM, Murphy AL, et al. Canadian guidelines on pharmacotherapy for disruptive and aggressive behaviour in children and adolescents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, or conduct disorder Can J Psychiatry, 2015.PMID 25886657
- [5]Scott S, Spender Q, Doolan M, et al. Multicentre controlled trial of parenting groups for childhood antisocial behaviour in clinical practice BMJ, 2001.PMID 11473908
- [6]Robins LN Deviant children grown up Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 1996.PMID 9010663