Juvenile delinquency is rarely associated with success in psychotherapeutic treatment. Up until now, few data have been recorded regarding possible overlaps or common features of conduct disorders with anxiety disorders. This case report of a delinquent adolescent's presenting an obsessive-compulsive disorder discusses possible underlying common features of externalizing and internalizing disorders, mainly in terms of fear and anxiety regulation. The successful psychotherapy is discussed with regard to efficient psychological assessment and treatment of delinquent adolescents, and it underlies the importance of detailed analysis of psychopathology in cases of juvenile delinquency.
Ambühl, H. (1998). Psychotherapie der Zwangsstörungen. Krankheitsmodelle und Therapiepraxis- Störungsspezifisch und Schulenübergreifend [Psychotherapy of obsessive-compulsive disorders. Etiological models and therapeutic practice-Disorder-specific and encompassing several approaches]. Stuttgart, Germany: Georg Thieme.
2.
American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
3.
Amir, N., & Kozak, M.J. (1998). Anxiety. In H. S. Friedman (Ed.), Encyclopedia of mental health (Vol. 1, pp. 129-135). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
4.
Berman, S.L., Weems, C.F., & Stickle, T.R. (2006). Existential anxiety in adolescents: Prevalence, structure, association with psychological symptoms and identity development . Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 35(3), 303-310.
5.
Bhave, S., & Nagpal, J. (2005). Anxiety and depressive disorders in college students . Pediatrics Clinics of North America, 52(1), 97-134.
6.
Bolton, D., & Turner, T. (1984). Obsessive-compulsive neurosis with conduct disorder in adolescence: A report of two cases. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 25(1), 133-139.
7.
Ely, F. (2005). An analysis of anger, anxiety and self-esteem factors in relation to severity of crimes in male criminal offenders. Dissertation Abstracts International, 66(01), 548B.
8.
Emmelkamp, P.M.G., & von Oppen, P. (2000). Zwangsstörungen [Obsessive-compulsive disorders] . Göttingen, Germany: Hogrefe.
9.
Fergusson, D.M., & Horwood, L.J. (1995). Predictive validity of categorically and dimensionally scored measures of disruptive childhood behaviors. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 34, 477-485.
10.
Foa, E.B., & Wilson, R. (1991). Stop obsessing! How to overcome your obsessions and compulsions. New York: Bantam Doubleday.
11.
Goodman, W.K., Price, L.H., Rasmussen, S.A., Mazure, C., Fleischmann, R., Hill, C.L., et al. (1989). The Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale I: Development, use and reliability. Archives of General Psychiatry , 46, 1006-1011.
12.
Gullone, E. (2000). The development of normal fear: A century of research . Clinical Psychology Review, 20(4), 429-451.
13.
Marmorstein, N.R. (2007). Relationships between anxiety and externalizing disorders in youth: The influence of age and gender. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 21, 420-432.
14.
Peck, H.B., & Bellsmith, V. (1954). Individual treatment. In H. B. Peck & V. Bellsmith (Eds.), Treatment of the delinquent adolescent: Group and individual therapy with parent and child (pp. 41-62). New York: Family Service Association of America.
15.
Pullmann, M.D., Kerbs, J., Koroloff, N., Veach-White, E., Gaylor, R., & Siler, D. (2006). Juvenile offenders with mental health needs: Reducing recidivism using wraparound. Crime & Delinquency, 52(3), 375-397.
16.
Reinecke, M.A., & Shirk, S.R. (2005). Psychotherapy with adolescents. In G. L. Gabbard, J. S. Beck, & J. Holmes (Eds.), Oxford textbook of psychotherapy (pp. 353-366). Oxford, UK : Oxford University Press.
17.
Simons, M., & Herpertz-Dahlmann, B. (2003). Psychotherapie der Zwangstörung bei Kindern und Jungendlichen-Eine Uebersicht [Psychotherapy of obsessive-compulsive disorder in children and adolescents-An overview]. Zeitschrift fur Kinder-und Jugendpsychiatrie und Psychotherapie, 31(3), 213-221.
18.
Stefurak, T., Calhoun, G.B., & Glaser B.A. (2004). Personality typologies of male juvenile offenders using a cluster analysis of the Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory introduction . International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 48(1), 96-110.
19.
Stevens, G., & Gardner, S. (1994). Separation anxiety and the dread of abandonment in adult males. Westport, CT: Praeger /Greenwood.
20.
Teplin, L.A., Abram, K.M., McClelland, G.M., Dulcan, M.K., & Mericle, A.A. (2002). Psychiatric disorders in youth in juvenile delinquency . Archives of General Psychiatry, 59, 1133-1143.
21.
Timmons-Mitchell, J., Brown, C., Schulz, C., Webster, S.E., Underwood, L.A., & Semple, W.E. (1997). Comparing the mental health needs of female and male incarcerated juvenile delinquents. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 15, 195-202.
22.
Vander Stoep, A., Evens, C.C., & Taub, J. (1997). Risk of juvenile systems referral among children in a public mental health system. Journal of Mental Health Administration, 24(4), 428-442.
23.
Westenberg, P.M., Drewes, M.J., Goedhart, A.W., Siebelink, B.M., & Treffers, P.D.A. (2004). A developmental analysis of self-reported fears in late childhood through mid-adolescence: Social evaluative fears on the rise? Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry , 45(3), 481-495.
24.
Zimmermann, G. (2006). Delinquency in male adolescents: The role of alexithymia and family structure. Journal of Adolescence, 29(3), 321-332.
