Disturbo comportamentale in adolescenza: un sintomo, molteplici diagnosi

Aggressive behaviour, impulsivity and antisocial actions are one of the most frequent motives for adolescents’ referral to Psychiatric Service. They are not a problem itself but rather a symptom, particularly used during adolescence, to show a disease. Actually diagnosis according to nosological classifications regards conduct disorder only for a little percentage, giving space to many other different diagnosis like as personality disorders, psychosis, affective disorders, etc. The authors present a clinical study about 113 patients, 78 males and 35 female aged 11-19, seen in the Adolescent Psychophatology Service they work in. Adolescents were referred for behavioural difficulties. Variables considered are data about adolescents’ identification, their families, psychosocial environment and clinical data collected during the diagnostic process. The topic of this work is to study what kind of diagnosis correspond to behavioural difficulties in adolescents and what factors are associated to them