What Are the Causes of Behavior Problems?

Challenging behavior is defined as disruptive and aggressive conduct that seriously jeopardizes the safety and well-being of others, as well as the person who behaves badly. It is marked by high frequency and intensity as opposed to incidental bad behavior. Both adults and children can undergo periods of behavior problems caused by mental illness, medical problems, environmental issues, and occurrence of significant life events. Challenging behavior can seriously injure a person's health and lead to alienation.

Mental Problems

• Mental problems, or psychosis, can cause or exacerbate behavior problems. Mental problems can be a result of a difficult episode such as death of a friend or a parent, in which case, there is a big chance of recovery after a person has dealt with the pain of loss and moved on. Mental problems also can be caused by a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia. Schizophrenia often is accompanied by delusions and hallucinations that seriously impair the affected person's vision of reality. Drug abuse also can lead to mental problems and bad behavior.

Medical Problems

• Behavior problems sometimes are caused by medical problems resulting in physical pain, especially when coupled with the inability to communicate the pain due to loss of verbal skills or poor memory. Physical pain or discomfort such as dental pain or urinary tract infection can go unnoticed for a long time, causing a person to behave badly. People suffering from dementia often are filled with overwhelming emotions that can translate into verbal and physical aggression and restlessness. That is why in dealing with such problems it is important to look into a person's medical history.

Environmental Issues

• Environmental factors play a role in behavior problems as well. Excessive noise, crowds, poor or bright lighting, and too cold or too hot temperature can be irritating and cause agitation. Changes in the environment or routines due to move, change of a student's school or a circle of friends can cause anxiety and lead to changes in behavior. Any kind of alteration in a person's environment is exacerbated when a person is naturally sensitive and has difficulty coping with changes.

Significant Life Events

• There are certain stages in people's lives that are naturally difficult and can cause behavior problems. Moving to a new place of residence is an example of a situation when a person has to face a lot of changes and stress. Marital problems, divorce or arrival of a baby can be very taxing both physically (lack of sleep, proper rest and nutrition) and emotionally (agitation and communication problems) and can cause behavior shifts.