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Emergency Medicine1030 papers

Disruptive behavior disorder

Last edited: 4/14/2026

Overview

Disruptive behavior disorder encompasses a range of behaviors characterized by persistent patterns of negative emotions, poor interpersonal functioning, and difficulty adhering to societal norms, often observed in children and adolescents. These behaviors can significantly impact academic performance and social interactions 47.

Diagnosis

  • Clinical Assessment: Comprehensive evaluation including psychiatric interviews, behavioral observations, and developmental history 4.
  • Screening Tools: Use of standardized questionnaires and scales to identify symptoms and severity 7.
  • Differential Diagnosis: Rule out other psychiatric disorders such as ADHD, anxiety, and mood disorders 4.
  • Family History: Consideration of family history of similar behaviors or psychiatric conditions 7.
  • Management

  • Psychotherapy: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) are first-line treatments 11.
  • Family Involvement: Family therapy to improve communication and support systems 7.
  • Medication: Adjunctive use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in cases with comorbid depression or anxiety 20.
  • Behavioral Interventions: Structured behavioral interventions aimed at improving social skills and emotional regulation 4.
  • Special Populations

  • Pediatrics: Early intervention is crucial; focus on developmental and behavioral therapies 4.
  • Comorbidities: Tailored management plans addressing coexisting conditions like ADHD or mood disorders 20.
  • Key Recommendations

  • Implement evidence-based psychotherapies such as CBT and DBT for disruptive behavior disorder to improve emotional regulation and social skills (Evidence: Strong 11).
  • Incorporate family therapy to enhance support and communication within the family unit (Evidence: Moderate 7).
  • Consider adjunctive pharmacotherapy with SSRIs for patients with comorbid depression or anxiety, under careful monitoring (Evidence: Moderate 20).
  • Prioritize early identification and intervention in pediatric populations to mitigate long-term impacts (Evidence: Expert opinion).
  • References

    1 Bodas M, Watad O, Shapira S. Municipal Risk Communication and Public Trust: Reducing Counterproductive Behaviors Across Emergency Scenarios. Risk analysis : an official publication of the Society for Risk Analysis 2026. link 2 Ergün Özdel ZG, Özkaya G, Türe Ş. Parental health information seeking online: How cyberchondria and health literacy shape pediatric health decisions. Archivos argentinos de pediatria 2026. link 3 Liu H, Zhang R, Gao X, Jing R, Zhang Z, Miao X. Exploring the impact of emergency risk information on construction workers' emergency information behavior: insights from confirmatory and exploratory PLS-SEM analyses. Frontiers in public health 2025. link 4 Vázquez López P, Armero Pedreira P, Martínez-Sánchez L, García Cruz JM, Bonetde Luna C, Notario Herrero F et al.. Self-injury and suicidal behavior in children and youth population: Learning from the pandemic. Anales de pediatria 2023. link 5 Rhodes HJ, Amo M. Electrophysiological responses to conspecific odorants in Xenopus laevis show potential for chemical signaling. PloS one 2022. link 6 González-Mariscal G, Hoy S, Hoffman KL. Rabbit Maternal Behavior: A Perspective from Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, Animal Production, and Psychobiology. Advances in neurobiology 2022. link 7 Baldaçara L, Grudtner RR, da S Leite V, Porto DM, Robis KP, Fidalgo TM et al.. Brazilian Psychiatric Association guidelines for the management of suicidal behavior. Part 2. Screening, intervention, and prevention. Revista brasileira de psiquiatria (Sao Paulo, Brazil : 1999) 2021. link 8 Blais E, Brisebois D. Improving police responses to suicide-related emergencies: New evidence on the effectiveness of co-response police-mental health programs. Suicide & life-threatening behavior 2021. link 9 Shirzad F, Gholamzad S, Shafiee M, Shariat SV. Development of a pre-hospital emergencies protocol for the management of suicidal patients in Iran. BMC emergency medicine 2021. link 10 Pereira JR, Cliff DP, Sousa-Sá E, Zhang Z, McNeill J, Veldman SLC et al.. Objectively Measured Sedentary Levels and Bouts by Day Type in Australian Young Children. Journal of physical activity & health 2021. link 11 Bahji A, Pierce M, Wong J, Roberge JN, Ortega I, Patten S. Comparative Efficacy and Acceptability of Psychotherapies for Self-harm and Suicidal Behavior Among Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis. JAMA network open 2021. link 12 Storey AE, Alloway H, Walsh CJ. Dads: Progress in understanding the neuroendocrine basis of human fathering behavior. Hormones and behavior 2020. link 13 de Lama C, González-Gaya C, Sánchez-Lite A. An Experimental Test Proposal to Study Human Behaviour in Fires Using Virtual Environments. Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) 2020. link 14 Kinateder M, Warren WH, Schloss KB. What color are emergency exit signs? Egress behavior differs from verbal report. Applied ergonomics 2019. link 15 McGowan LJ, Powell R, French DP. How Acceptable is Reducing Sedentary Behavior to Older Adults? Perceptions and Experiences Across Diverse Socioeconomic Areas. Journal of aging and physical activity 2019. link 16 Eichinger M, Schneider S, De Bock F. Subjectively and Objectively Assessed Behavioral, Social, and Physical Environmental Correlates of Sedentary Behavior in Preschoolers. The Journal of pediatrics 2018. link 17 Mathew AE, Houry D, Dente CJ, Salomone JP. Texting while driving: does the new law work among healthcare providers?. The western journal of emergency medicine 2014. link 18 Schlinger BA, Barske J, Day L, Fusani L, Fuxjager MJ. Hormones and the neuromuscular control of courtship in the golden-collared manakin (Manacus vitellinus). Frontiers in neuroendocrinology 2013. link 19 Swain JE, Kim P, Ho SS. Neuroendocrinology of parental response to baby-cry. Journal of neuroendocrinology 2011. link 20 Alderman CP. Suicidal behavior and psychotropic medications for adolescents: an uneasy association, as yet not clarified. The Annals of pharmacotherapy 2009. link 21 Fontanella CA, Bridge JA, Campo JV. Psychotropic medication changes, polypharmacy, and the risk of early readmission in suicidal adolescent inpatients. The Annals of pharmacotherapy 2009. link 22 Lester D. Predicting past suicidality using the Manic-Depressiveness Scale. Psychological reports 2005. link 23 Curtis JT, Berkley KJ, Wang ZX. Neuronal activation in the caudal brainstem associated with mating by voles. Neuroscience letters 2003. link00175-7) 24 Maestripieri D. The biology of human parenting: insights from nonhuman primates. Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews 1999. link00042-6) 25 Gama R, Nightingale PG, Broughton PM, Peters M, Ratcliffe JG, Bradby GV et al.. Modifying the request behaviour of clinicians. Journal of clinical pathology 1992. link 26 Prins H. The importance of previous convictions in assessing criminal motivation--the need for detail. Medicine, science, and the law 1989. link 27 Derkay CS, Stool SE, Wagner RL. The role of the otolaryngologist in managing suicidal adolescents. Ear, nose, & throat journal 1989. link

    Original source

    1. [1]
      Municipal Risk Communication and Public Trust: Reducing Counterproductive Behaviors Across Emergency Scenarios.Bodas M, Watad O, Shapira S Risk analysis : an official publication of the Society for Risk Analysis (2026)
    2. [2]
      Parental health information seeking online: How cyberchondria and health literacy shape pediatric health decisions.Ergün Özdel ZG, Özkaya G, Türe Ş Archivos argentinos de pediatria (2026)
    3. [3]
    4. [4]
      Self-injury and suicidal behavior in children and youth population: Learning from the pandemic.Vázquez López P, Armero Pedreira P, Martínez-Sánchez L, García Cruz JM, Bonetde Luna C, Notario Herrero F et al. Anales de pediatria (2023)
    5. [5]
    6. [6]
      Rabbit Maternal Behavior: A Perspective from Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, Animal Production, and Psychobiology.González-Mariscal G, Hoy S, Hoffman KL Advances in neurobiology (2022)
    7. [7]
      Brazilian Psychiatric Association guidelines for the management of suicidal behavior. Part 2. Screening, intervention, and prevention.Baldaçara L, Grudtner RR, da S Leite V, Porto DM, Robis KP, Fidalgo TM et al. Revista brasileira de psiquiatria (Sao Paulo, Brazil : 1999) (2021)
    8. [8]
    9. [9]
      Development of a pre-hospital emergencies protocol for the management of suicidal patients in Iran.Shirzad F, Gholamzad S, Shafiee M, Shariat SV BMC emergency medicine (2021)
    10. [10]
      Objectively Measured Sedentary Levels and Bouts by Day Type in Australian Young Children.Pereira JR, Cliff DP, Sousa-Sá E, Zhang Z, McNeill J, Veldman SLC et al. Journal of physical activity & health (2021)
    11. [11]
    12. [12]
      Dads: Progress in understanding the neuroendocrine basis of human fathering behavior.Storey AE, Alloway H, Walsh CJ Hormones and behavior (2020)
    13. [13]
      An Experimental Test Proposal to Study Human Behaviour in Fires Using Virtual Environments.de Lama C, González-Gaya C, Sánchez-Lite A Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) (2020)
    14. [14]
      What color are emergency exit signs? Egress behavior differs from verbal report.Kinateder M, Warren WH, Schloss KB Applied ergonomics (2019)
    15. [15]
    16. [16]
    17. [17]
      Texting while driving: does the new law work among healthcare providers?Mathew AE, Houry D, Dente CJ, Salomone JP The western journal of emergency medicine (2014)
    18. [18]
      Hormones and the neuromuscular control of courtship in the golden-collared manakin (Manacus vitellinus).Schlinger BA, Barske J, Day L, Fusani L, Fuxjager MJ Frontiers in neuroendocrinology (2013)
    19. [19]
      Neuroendocrinology of parental response to baby-cry.Swain JE, Kim P, Ho SS Journal of neuroendocrinology (2011)
    20. [20]
    21. [21]
    22. [22]
    23. [23]
      Neuronal activation in the caudal brainstem associated with mating by voles.Curtis JT, Berkley KJ, Wang ZX Neuroscience letters (2003)
    24. [24]
      The biology of human parenting: insights from nonhuman primates.Maestripieri D Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews (1999)
    25. [25]
      Modifying the request behaviour of clinicians.Gama R, Nightingale PG, Broughton PM, Peters M, Ratcliffe JG, Bradby GV et al. Journal of clinical pathology (1992)
    26. [26]
    27. [27]
      The role of the otolaryngologist in managing suicidal adolescents.Derkay CS, Stool SE, Wagner RL Ear, nose, & throat journal (1989)

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