Violent behavior patterns: possible homeopathic remedies

The authors discuss violence as a current epidemics and violent behavior in children and adolescents. They present a repertory study including the characteristic and peculiar symptoms of 12 patients, with clinical diagnoses of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Conduct Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and the symptoms corresponding to the diagnostic criteria in the DSM-IV transcribed in repertory language. The result is a materia medica for patterns of violent behavior. Keywords: Violent behavior, homeopathy, children and adolescents, ADHD, Conduct Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder.  Padrões de conduta violenta: possíveis medicamentos homeopáticos Resumo Os autores abordam a violéncia como epidemia contemporânea e estudam a conduta violenta em crianças e adolescentes. Apresenta-se uma análise repertorial, incluindo os sintomas característicos e peculiares de 12 pacientes com diagnóstico clínico de Transtorno de Déficit de Atenção com Hiperatividade (TDAHI), Transtorno de Conduta e Oposicional Desafiador, e os sintomas correspondentes aos critérios diagnósticos no DSM-IV transcritos em línguagem repertorial. O resultado é uma matéria médica para padrões de conduta violenta. Palavras-chave: Comportamento violento, homeopatia, crianças e adolescentes, TDAH, Desordem de conduta, Transtorno Oposicional Desafiador.  Modelos de conducta violenta: posibles remedios homeopáticos Resumen Los autores abordan la violencia como epidemia contemporánea y estudian la conducta violenta en niños y adolescentes. Se presenta un análisis repertorial, incluyendo los síntomas característicos y peculiares de 12 pacientes con diagnóstico clínico de Trastorno de Déficit de Atención con Hiperactividad (TDAHI), Trastorno de Conducta y Oposicional Desafiador, y los síntomas correspondientes a los criterios diagnósticos en el DSM-IV transcriptos en lenguaje repertorial. El resultado es una materia médica para modelos de conducta violenta. Palabras-clave: Comportamiento violento, homeopatía, niños, niñas y adolescentes, TDAH, trastorno de conducta, trastorno de oposición desafiante.  Correspondence author: Célia R. Barollo, [email protected]; http://www.nephsp.org How to cite this article: Barollo CR, Bignardi FAC, Osielski JM, Pedalino CMV.Violent behavior patterns: possible homeopathic remedies. Int J High Dilution Res [online]. 2008 [cited YYYY Mmm DD]; 7(22):7-21. Available from: http://journal.giri-society.org/index.php/ijhdr/article/view/257/341. ÂÂÂ

Anorexia nervosa, conduct disorder, and the juvenile justice system: a case of applying traditional treatment modalities in a non-traditional setting

Background Anorexia Nervosa is highly comorbid with depressive, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders. However, it has not previously been reported as comorbid with antisocial personality traits, except when substance use disorder is also identified. We present an unusual case of a patient with resistant anorexia nervosa and comorbid conduct disorder. This case was also unique in that the juvenile justice system was involved during treatment. Case presentation A 13-year-old female was admitted to our pediatric hospital for the treatment of anorexia nervosa. She had a history of violent behaviors toward family members, often jeopardizing her care. During hospitalization, she physically attacked a physician on her care team shortly before she transitioned to an eating disorders treatment program. She was diagnosed with conduct disorder, and following discharge, she attacked her father in a premeditated act. This led to her entry into the juvenile justice system. While under the custody of the juvenile justice system, she was readmitted to our hospital for further treatment of anorexia nervosa. Our treatment strategy included psychotropics, positive reinforcement, close interdisciplinary coordination among the various hospital teams, and the juvenile justice system. Following discharge from her second hospitalization back to the juvenile detention system, our patient maintained a healthy weight and appeared to show improvements in the cognitive distortions related to her eating disorder. Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first reported successful treatment of an individual with resistant anorexia nervosa and conduct disorder. It was likely a combination of weight gain, psychotropic medications, and the structured milieu provided by the juvenile justice system that led to the effective treatment of our patient. This case illustrates that a non-traditional healthcare setting can be an asset to treatment through persistence and close collaboration across institutions.

Dark Triad: Associations with juvenile delinquency, conduct disorder and trauma

The Dark Triad (DT) consists of three personality traits (machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy). This is considered relevant for understanding the development of undesirable characteristics for society, frequently observed in young people and adults with antisocial and delinquent behaviours. Aversive personality traits have only recently aroused interest in researchers as a cohesive set of factors. The aim of this study was to analyse the associations of the DT (machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy) with juvenile delinquency, conduct disorder (CD), and trauma. For this, a total sample of Portuguese adolescents (n=601; Mage=15.95 years, SD=1.05 years, range=13-18 years) was used, subdivided into a male forensic group, male school group, and female school group. After the elaboration of multiple linear regression models, the results indicated that the psychopathy dimension was the one with the greatest association with juvenile delinquency and CD, while the narcissism dimension was the one with the greatest association with trauma. In future studies, the associations of the DT with juvenile delinquency, CD, and trauma in Portuguese adolescents should continue to be explored in the forensic and school contexts, to further clarify these relationships and contribute to the development and implementation of prevention and intervention programs for Youth with these characteristics.

Validation of the Proposed Specifiers for Conduct Disorder (PSCD) Scale in a Sample of Italian Students

This study aimed to further validate the self-reported version of the Proposed Specifiers Conduct Disorder (PSCD) scale, testing the associations between the PSCD with a scale that measures emotional/behavioral difficulties and prosocial behaviors (Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire, SDQ). A total of 536 Italian students (47.76% male; 11–14 years) completed the PSCD, while their caregivers and teachers completed the SDQ. A series of confirmatory factor analyses to test the best fitting model were run. The internal consistency of the PSCD was evaluated, and the correlations between the PSCD self-reported scores and SDQ Parent and Teacher report scores were examined. A bi-factor model was fitted with a refined 19-item version of the scale, which showed adequate fit indices. The PSCD total score was strongly associated with higher parent- and teacher-rated conduct problems, hyperactivity, and lower prosocial behavioral symptoms. In conclusion, this study indicated that the self-report PSCD shows preliminary promise as a reliable, easy-to-use tool, for measuring psychopathic traits in Italian children and young adolescents.