Should we aspire to screen preschool children for conduct disorder?
- 1General Practice and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
- 2Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
- Correspondence to Dr P Wilson, General Practice and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, University of Glasgow, 1 Horselethill Road, Glasgow G12 9JT, UK; p.wilson{at}clinmed.gla.ac.uk
- Accepted 18 April 2009
- Published Online First 26 April 2009
Abstract
Life-course persistent conduct disorder is a major public health problem with implications for individual health and for society at large. Recent evidence has shown that treatment can be cost-effective, and early symptom detection is improving. We weigh the evidence for and against the introduction of population screening for conduct disorder in early childhood using Wilson and Jungner’s criteria.
Footnotes
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Funding PW received support for protected time for research in infant mental health from the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Executive Health Department during the preparation of this paper.
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Competing interests CP is the joint author and trainer for the Mellow Parenting programme. Mellow Parenting is now a charity, but she is not a trustee. She is employed from time to time by this charity to run training courses.
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The article was conceived and drafted initially by PW, who acts as guarantor. Responsibility for redrafting the article was shared between all the authors.
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Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
