Disruptive behaviors: description, causes and associated disorders.

This type of behavior can appear at almost any age.

One of the normal phenomena that appears within the vital development of the person, especially in infantile and adolescent stages, is the need to defy authority. But what at first may be considered an act of age or circumstances may hide an altered pattern of behavior.

When these challenges to authority are accompanied by other behaviors considered antisocial, we can consider them as disruptive behaviors, we can consider them as disruptive behaviors.. Throughout this article we will analyze the characteristics of these behaviors as well as their possible causes and the psychological disorders with which they are associated.

What are disruptive behaviors?

Traditionally, disruptive behaviors have been understood as all those actions or behaviors considered as antisocial because they differ from accepted social norms and values. differ from the accepted patterns of behavior and social values.

In addition, these behaviors are perceived as a threat to the harmony, harmony and peace of society and even a risk to the survival of all people. These behaviors manifest themselves through acts of hostility and provocation that encourage disorder and disruption of routines and activities at both the individual and social levels.

Although these behaviors can occur in a person of any ageAlthough these behaviors can occur in a person of any age, in an isolated and punctual way or provoked by some event or situation that supposes a great impact or trauma for the person, there are a series of behavioral alterations in which these behaviors are some of the main symptoms.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) these disturbances can be classified as within the group of disruptive disorders of impulse control and behavior, in which both childhood and juvenile and adult disorders are included.These disorders include both childhood and juvenile disorders as well as adult disorders.

The group of behavioral disorders characteristic of children and adolescents are defined by the presence of continuous disruptive behaviors. These behaviors include all types of hostile and defiant behaviors of certain minors towards any type of authority figure.

While it is common, and characteristic of child development, for children to go through periods in which they try to find out where they can go and where they can go. periods in which they try to find the limits of their negative behaviors.In the DSM, children with some type of disruptive behavior disorder take to the extreme the achievement of these acts and behaviors, affecting their daily lives, as well as the lives of those around them.

Within this DSM classification of disruptive disorders we find the following disorders:

• Oppositional defiant disorder
• Intermittent explosive disorder
• Conduct disorder
• Antisocial personality disorder
• Pyromania
• Kleptomania.

What are the signs or symptoms?

While it is true that each of the diagnostic categories described above has its own clinical picture with all kinds of distinctive symptoms, there are a number of warning signs or symptoms, there are a number of symptoms or warning signs that can guide us that can guide us in detecting whether a person suffers or is developing any of the above behavioral disorders, especially in the case of children.

These signs can be categorized into three different groups: behavioral symptoms, cognitive symptoms, psychosocial symptoms.

1. Behavioral symptoms

These are basically the following.

• Social isolation
• Bullying behaviors towards other people.
• Tendency to negative behaviors.
• Robbery or theft behaviors.
• Destruction or intentional damage to other people's property, public or private.
• Tendency to blame others.
• Active defiance of authority.
• Refusal to comply with rules or regulations.
• Displays cruelty to animals.
• Tendency to play with fire.

2. Cognitive symptoms

These are the usual cognitive symptoms.

• Concentration problems.
• Frequent feelings of frustration.
• Memory impairment.
• Inability or problems to think before speaking.
• Difficulties in problem solving.

3. Psychosocial symptoms

These are the most relational aspects of this psychological phenomenon.

• Lack of empathy.
• Lack of remorse.
• Feeling of grandiosity.
• Persistent negativity.
• Constant and persistent irritability.
• Low self-esteem.

What causes these behaviors?

As with the symptoms, each disruptive behavior disorder has its own set of causes. However, there are a series of risk factors that favor the appearance and development of these disruptive behaviors. Among them we find:

• Exposure to violence.
• Family history of mental illness or substance abuse.
• Domestic violence.
• Suffering from abuse and/or neglect.
• Poor or inconsistent parenting.

Disorders associated with disruptive behavior

As mentioned earlier, disruptive behaviors are not necessarily associated need not necessarily be associated with a psychological disorder.. However, when they appear persistently and accompanied by other symptoms, it is possible that it is one of the disruptive behavior disorders.

1. Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)

Oppositional defiant disorder is defined by the appearance in the child of a pattern of negativistic, defiant, disobedient and hostile behaviors towards authority figures.

A child with ODD may constantly argue with adults, lose control of his or her emotions very easily, refuse to follow rules, continually annoy others, and behave in an angry, resentful and vindictive manner. In these cases it is very common for the child to provoke constant conflicts and disciplinary situations both at school and at home.

In a large proportion of cases, without early diagnosis and treatment, the symptoms of oppositional defiant disorder worsen over time and sometimes become severe enough to trigger a diagnosis of conduct disorder.

2. Intermittent Explosive Disorder

This behavioral disturbance is a psychological disorder in which the person manifests a random pattern of disruptive, aggressive and disproportionate behavioral responses. In most cases, these are caused or provoked for a specific reason, nor without an apparent purpose; causing severe damage and harm to the person's social environment and to him/herself.

3. Conduct disorder

Conduct disorder is a more severe version of oppositional defiant disorder. Defined by the DSM itself as a repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior in which the person violates the basic rights of othersas well as major social norms related to the subject's age.

This disorder may involve serious aggression toward people or harm to animals, deliberate destruction of property or vandalism, theft, skipping classes, and attempting to bypass social norms without being caught.

4. Antisocial personality disorder

In this case, the clinical picture is very similar to that of conduct disorder but with the requirement that it can only be diagnosed in persons over the age of 18. it can only be diagnosed in persons over 15 years of age.. In addition to the behaviors that appear in the previous diagnosis, the antisocial personality disorder we also find other disruptive behaviors such as

• Lack of adaptation to social norms and legality.
• Impulsivity.
• Inability to acquire responsibilities.
• Disregard for one's own safety or that of others.

5. Pyromania

Popularly known as pyromaniacs, these individuals exhibit behaviors that are distinguished by the repetition of acts or attempts to start fires or set fires. acts or attempts to provoke fires or set fires, with no apparent objective or motivation, either to other people's property or to any type of object.without an apparent objective or motivation, both to other people's property and to any type of object.

6. Kleptomania

Finally, the last of the psychological disorders in which disruptive behavior is one of the main symptoms is kleptomania.

In this case, the person manifests a repeated behavior of theft or appropriation of other people's property.. What distinguishes this disorder from the usual act of stealing is that the person does not seek to enrich himself or obtain material goods, but the moment of theft is in itself a purpose.