Conduct disorder (CD) is a psychiatric disorder characterized by repetitive violation of other people or social norms. The disorder is most diagnosed in adolescent males with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and/or adverse childhood events, yet the exact etiology remains unclear. Cognitive-behaviour therapy and social skills training are used to manage symptoms and improve social functioning but have limited success due to high treatment dropout rates. Recent findings have shown that adolescents with CD exhibit dysfunctions in ‘mentalizing’, meaning their ability to understand that behaviours arise from emotional and cognitive states is impaired (Taubner et al., 2021)
Taubner et al. (2021) examined the feasibility of treating outpatient adolescents with CD using a pilot mentalizing based treatment (MBT). Taubner et al. believe that MBT has the potential to target both externalizing symptoms and cognitions associated with CD, whereas traditional therapies target only aggressive behaviours. By targeting both the etiological problems as well as resulting symptoms, researchers propose that MBT will yield a greater retention rate than traditional CD therapies, and therefore symptom reduction following treatment will be significant.
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