Conduct disorder is a persistent pattern of behavior involving serious violations of others' rights or major age-appropriate rules. The clinical definition requires more than occasional misbehavior or a disagreement with an adult.
Its distinction from oppositional defiant disorder concerns the type and severity of the pattern, not an inevitable progression from one diagnosis to another. Developmental context and accompanying difficulties remain relevant.[ref]
Behavior or Conduct Problems in Children by CDC. Conduct disorder and distinction from oppositional defiant disorder
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