Conduct disorders in children

In this week's BMJ is a report [BMJ 2007;334:646 (31 March)] on a preventive intervention in parents of preschool children at risk of developing conduct disorder. While an early report it shows promise and is worth following. The study shows that effective community level prevention is possible using regular service staff if they are properly trained in an evidence based programme. Conduct disorder is a major health and social problem. It is the most common psychiatric disorder in childhood, with a prevalence of around 5% across the world.