Aggression and violence in mood disorders

As a common component of mood disorders, aggression can have many adverse effects on the child's or adolescent's life, including disrupting school performance and causing personal rejection by family, peers, and teachers. The problems of children and adolescents with mood disorders are compounded by comorbid aggressiveness. Without effective treatment for both problems, many of these aggressive, depressed children and adolescents go on to experience multiple failures in life leading to disturbances in character and the inability to establish fulfilling interpersonal relationships. This article is intended to heighten clinician awareness of the complex relationship between mood disorders and aggression.