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Violence and Mental Illness pp 47–55Cite as

Psychiatric Symptoms and Behaviors in Adolescence that Are Associated with Violence

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Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Criminology ((BRIEFSCRIMINOL))

Abstract

This chapter reviews psychiatric symptoms in adolescence that are associated with concurrent or future violence. Adolescence is a developmentally challenging transition period into young adulthood. Mental illness, in its many different forms, must be considered and treated with a great deal of caution at this age, given the developmental nature of those disorders. Rather than psychosis-related disorders, adolescents tend to express symptoms of conduct disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and other behavioral problems that are predictive of future violence. Common underlying factors for adolescents’ problem behaviors are varied and include developmental delays (including lack of hearing and communication skills), early and/or later trauma exposure, and antisocial family values. The chapter concludes with a brief discussion about the importance of not over diagnosing mental illness within the adolescent population, and the need to focus on treating symptoms no matter how the underlying condition is classified.

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  1. University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Lia Ahonen

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  1. Lia Ahonen
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Correspondence to Lia Ahonen .

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Ahonen, L. (2019). Psychiatric Symptoms and Behaviors in Adolescence that Are Associated with Violence. In: Violence and Mental Illness. SpringerBriefs in Criminology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18750-7_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18750-7_5

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-18749-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-18750-7

  • eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)

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